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yellow · warm

#ecf0ad

a light, vivid yellow · warm · closest name: Pale Goldenrod

Token name suggestion: Linen Citron

RGB
236, 240, 173
HSL
64°, 69%, 81%
CMYK
2, 0, 28, 6
Luminance
0.8317

#ecf0ad is a light vivid yellow, 64° on the wheel and 28/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (17.63:1). As text it scores 1.19:1 on white — use #737916 instead. Nearest name is Pale Goldenrod, nearest Tailwind family is lime.

hsl(64 69% 81%)rgb(236 240 173)Base step 300AAA inkWarm

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #ecf0ad is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#ecf0ad
Hue
64°
yellow
Saturation
69%
vivid
Lightness
81%
light
Brightness
94%
HSV value
Perceived
91%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.8317
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
28/100 cool
Color family
Yellow
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
17.63:1
Closest name
Pale Goldenrod
ΔE2000 3.2
Chroma
34.1
LCH, 0–130ish
OKLCH L
0.936
perceptual lightness
Tailwind
lime
500 · ΔE 19.5
Web-safe
#FFFF99
nearest of 216
Where it sits
Hue64° of 360°
Saturation69%
Lightness81%
Saturation × lightness field

Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #ecf0ad.

Temperature
Warm ← → Cool28% cool

Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.

Luminance by channel
Red21%
Green75%
Blue4%

Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.

Every format

HEX#ecf0ad
HEX (8-digit)#ecf0adff
RGBrgb(236, 240, 173)
RGBArgba(236, 240, 173, 1)
HSLhsl(64, 69%, 81%)
HSV / HSBhsv(64, 28%, 94%)
HWBhwb(64 68% 6%)
CMYKcmyk(2%, 0%, 28%, 6%)
LABlab(93.1 -11.7 32.0)
LCHlch(93.1 34.1 110.1)
OKLCHoklch(0.936 0.086 110.8)
XYZ (D65)xyz(73.30, 83.17, 51.72)
Decimal15528109
Display P3color(display-p3 0.925 0.941 0.678)
Web-safe#FFFF99

Copy-ready code

every platformclick to select
/* CSS */
color: #ecf0ad;
background-color: #ecf0ad;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #ecf0ad;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#ecf0ad] bg-[#ecf0ad]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #ecf0ad;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.925, green: 0.941, blue: 0.678)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.925, green: 0.941, blue: 0.678, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#ECF0AD</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFECF0AD)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFECF0AD)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(173, 240, 236)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(236, 240, 173)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(236, 240, 173)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 236, 240, 173)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.9255f, 0.9412f, 0.6784f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{236,240,173}
modern cssclick to select
/* mix without leaving CSS */
background: color-mix(in oklab, #ecf0ad 85%, white);
border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #ecf0ad 40%, transparent);
/* theme-aware in one line */
color: light-dark(#676C14, #EDEED3);
/* relative colour syntax */
--hover: hsl(from #ecf0ad h s calc(l - 7));

Design tokens

The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.

css custom propertiesclick to select
:root {
  --brand-50: #FBFBF3;
  --brand-100: #F7F8E7;
  --brand-200: #F0F2CA;
  --brand-300: #ecf0ad;
  --brand-400: #DEE571;
  --brand-500: #D3DC41;
  --brand-600: #C5CF26;
  --brand-700: #A4AC20;
  --brand-800: #838A19;
  --brand-900: #5F6416;
  --brand-950: #3C3F0E;
  --brand: #ecf0ad;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
  --brand-surface: #FAFAF4;
  --brand-border: #EAEDC0;
  --brand-hover: #E5EB8F;
  --brand-pressed: #DEE571;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --brand-surface: #232414;
    --brand-ink: #EDEED3;
  }
}
tailwind.config.jsclick to select
theme: {
  extend: {
    colors: {
      brand: {
        50: '#FBFBF3',
        100: '#F7F8E7',
        200: '#F0F2CA',
        300: '#ecf0ad',
        400: '#DEE571',
        500: '#D3DC41',
        600: '#C5CF26',
        700: '#A4AC20',
        800: '#838A19',
        900: '#5F6416',
        950: '#3C3F0E',
        DEFAULT: '#ecf0ad',
      },
    },
  },
}
scss mapclick to select
$brand: (
  '50': #FBFBF3,
  '100': #F7F8E7,
  '200': #F0F2CA,
  '300': #ecf0ad,
  '400': #DEE571,
  '500': #D3DC41,
  '600': #C5CF26,
  '700': #A4AC20,
  '800': #838A19,
  '900': #5F6416,
  '950': #3C3F0E,
);
$brand-base: #ecf0ad;
$brand-ink: #000000;

@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }
w3c design tokens (json)click to select
{
  "color": {
    "brand": {
      "50": { "$value": "#FBFBF3", "$type": "color" },
      "100": { "$value": "#F7F8E7", "$type": "color" },
      "200": { "$value": "#F0F2CA", "$type": "color" },
      "300": { "$value": "#ecf0ad", "$type": "color" },
      "400": { "$value": "#DEE571", "$type": "color" },
      "500": { "$value": "#D3DC41", "$type": "color" },
      "600": { "$value": "#C5CF26", "$type": "color" },
      "700": { "$value": "#A4AC20", "$type": "color" },
      "800": { "$value": "#838A19", "$type": "color" },
      "900": { "$value": "#5F6416", "$type": "color" },
      "950": { "$value": "#3C3F0E", "$type": "color" }
    },
    "brandInk": { "$value": "#000000", "$type": "color" }
  }
}

Best text color

Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.

Readable at a glance#000000 on #ecf0ad · 17.63:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
12px
Aa
16px
Aa
24px
Aa
White text · 1.19:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 17.63:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #ecf0ad as text scores 1.19:1 on white and 17.63:1 on black.
Best tinted ink on it, if plain black or white feels flat: #676C14 at 4.73:1.

Make it accessible

A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.

The quick fox
#737916 · 4.69:1
AA on white−53% L
#737916
The quick fox
#565B11 · 7.24:1
AAA on white−60% L
#565B11
The quick fox
#ecf0ad · 17.63:1
AA on blackalready passes
#ecf0ad
The quick fox
#ecf0ad · 17.63:1
AAA on blackalready passes
#ecf0ad

Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #949B1C is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#ecf0ad on white: 1.19:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#ecf0ad on black: 17.63:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
Against the neutral ladder

Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #ecf0ad as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #ecf0ad.

NeutralRatioBoth directions
White1.19:1AaAa
Slate 501.14:1AaAa
Slate 1001.09:1AaAa
Slate 2001.04:1AaAa
Slate 3001.25:1AaAa
Slate 4002.15:1AaAa
Slate 5004.00:1AaAa
Slate 6006.36:1AaAa
Slate 7008.70:1AaAa
Slate 80012.28:1AaAa
Slate 90014.99:1AaAa
Black17.63:1AaAa
Colour vision deficiency
true color
protanopia · #FAEAA9
deuteranopia · #FBECB0
tritanopia · #F5E8DE

Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #ecf0ad is pinned to step 300; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#FBFBF3
#F7F8E7
#F0F2CA
#ecf0ad
#DEE571
#D3DC41
#C5CF26
#A4AC20
#838A19
#5F6416
#3C3F0E
Base = 300Lightest = 50 · #FBFBF3Darkest = 950 · #3C3F0EText step on white = 900
Perceptual ramp — OKLCH

The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.

50100200300400500600700800900950
oklch tokensclick to select
:root {
  --brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.021 110.8);
  --brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.034 110.8);
  --brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.052 110.8);
  --brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.067 110.8);
  --brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.079 110.8);
  --brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.086 110.8);
  --brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.086 110.8);
  --brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.081 110.8);
  --brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.072 110.8);
  --brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.060 110.8);
  --brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.047 110.8);
}

Colors that work with #ecf0ad

Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.

Text on it#000000
Black wins here
Surface#FAFAF4
Tinted page background
Border#EAEDC0
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#969B4B
Captions on the surface
Accent#1B39B1
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#676C14
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FAFBE9
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#232414
Dark-mode background
Hover#E5EB8F
One step down in lightness
Pressed#DEE571
Two steps down
Disabled#F7F7F3
Chroma pulled out
Focus ring#F3F7BA
Offset from the fill so it reads
Light mode
Everything in its place

Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.

Primary actionSecondaryBadge
Dark mode
Same hue, inverted

Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.

Primary actionSecondaryAccent

In real components

The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.

Buttons and states
Save changesHoverPressedDisabled
OutlineSubtleLinkFocused
Form field
you@company.com

Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.

Send me product updates
Notice
Your export is ready

The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.

NewBetaDraft
Data
Storage used68%
Acme LtdActive
NorthwindTrial
GlobexActive

How to use #ecf0ad

Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.

Works well for
  • Text and icons on dark surfaces
  • Primary buttons and calls to action
  • Focus rings, active and selected states
  • Card and section backgrounds
  • Brand accents, badges and data highlights
Use with care
  • Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
  • Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
  • White text placed on it
  • Thin strokes and 1px borders — they disappear on light UI
  • Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Minimum size as text on white
Not as text
Safe as a fill behind white type
No — use #676C14
Safe as a 1px border on white
No — use #949B1C

Meaning and mood

What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.

optimisticalertcheap-and-cheerfulvisible

The most visible hue at low light levels, which is why it owns warnings, hazard tape and value retail.

This is a confident chroma: strong enough to lead a brand, restrained enough to live in an interface all day. The lightness keeps it airy and approachable.

Worth knowing

Almost never passes contrast against white. Treat it as a surface or a marker, not as text.

Reads as
  • FormalityMedium
  • EnergyMedium-high
  • Weight19/100
  • TemperatureWarm
  • ApproachabilityHigh

Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.

Similar colors

One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.

Color relationships

The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.

Complementary#B1ADF0
Analogous left#F0D3AD
Analogous right#CBF0AD
Split-complement 1#ADCBF0
Split-complement 2#D3ADF0
Triadic 1#ADECF0
Triadic 2#F0ADEC
Tetradic#ADF0D3
On the wheel
Base+30°−30°+120°+240°+180°64°

#ecf0ad sits at 64°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.

RGB percentages

Red92.5%
Green94.1%
Blue67.8%
R · 0–255
236
0xec
G · 0–255
240
0xf0
B · 0–255
173
0xad

CMYK percentages

Cyan1.7%
Magenta0.0%
Yellow27.9%
Key (black)5.9%

Total ink coverage is 36%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.

Color previews

#ecf0ad text on a black background

contrast 17.63:1

Card sample

#ecf0ad text on a white background

contrast 1.19:1

Card sample

#ecf0ad on grey

1.09:1

#ecf0ad on its own surface

1.14:1

#ecf0ad on its dark surface

13.22:1

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #ecf0ad;
Background color
Panel with #ecf0ad background
background-color: #ecf0ad;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #ecf0ad;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(236, 240, 173, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(236, 240, 173, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #ecf0ad;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ecf0ad, #BFF0AD);
Gradient text

Gradient headline

background: linear-gradient(90deg, #ecf0ad, #AFF0AD);
-webkit-background-clip: text;
color: transparent;
Focus ring
Focused control
outline: 2px solid #ecf0ad;
outline-offset: 3px;
Underline & caret

Marked up text

text-decoration-color: #ecf0ad;
caret-color: #ecf0ad;
Left rule
Pull quote or callout
border-left: 4px solid #ecf0ad;
Ring + tint
Selected chip
background: #FAFBE9;
box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #ecf0ad;
Conic badge
68%
background: conic-gradient(#ecf0ad 68%, #e2e8f0 0);

Transparency

What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #ecf0ad over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.

Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.

alpha in every syntaxclick to select
rgba(236, 240, 173, 0.5)
rgb(236 240 173 / 50%)
#ecf0ad80
hsl(64 69% 81% / 50%)
color-mix(in srgb, #ecf0ad 50%, transparent)
Alpha8-digit hexFlat on white
10%#ecf0ad1a#FDFEF7
20%#ecf0ad33#FBFCEF
40%#ecf0ad66#F7F9DE
60%#ecf0ad99#F4F6CE
80%#ecf0adcc#F0F3BD

Gradients from #ecf0ad

Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.

Elevation
Same hue, three lightnesses — safe anywhere
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #F8F9E1, #ecf0ad 45%, #676C14);
Duotone
A short hue run reads richer than a flat fill
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #ecf0ad, #A4EB93);
Complement sweep
Loud — keep it behind large type only
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #ecf0ad, #B1ADF0);
Spotlight
Hero panels and app headers
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #FCFDF2 0%, #ecf0ad 45%, #676C14 100%);
Soft wash
Section backgrounds that stay readable
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #FAFAF4, #ffffff);
Mesh
Ambient background, no image weight
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #F8E7D8 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #D7F5C7 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #676C14 0%, transparent 65%), #ecf0ad;

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #ecf0ad

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

Tones — desaturated

Color harmonies

Nearest named colors

Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.

#ecf0ad in the real world

Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.

Industries
RetailLeisureEnergyWarning systems
Common UI roles
SurfacesBadgesHighlightsEmpty states
Print note

Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.

On screens

Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.

In dark mode

Usable as-is on a dark surface at 17.63:1.

Explore nearby colors

Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.

#ecf0ad, answered

What color is #ecf0ad?

#ecf0ad is a light vivid yellow, closest to Pale Goldenrod (ΔE2000 3.2). It sits at 64° on the hue wheel with 69% saturation and 81% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #ecf0ad?

rgb(236, 240, 173) — 236 red, 240 green and 173 blue out of 255, or 92.5% / 94.1% / 67.8% by channel.

What is #ecf0ad in HSL and HSV?

hsl(64, 69%, 81%) and hsv(64, 28%, 94%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.

Is #ecf0ad a light or a dark color?

It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.8317 and perceived brightness is 91%, so black text on it reaches 17.63:1.

Should I use black or white text on #ecf0ad?

Black. It scores 17.63:1 against #ecf0ad, versus 1.19:1 for white — AAA at any size.

Is #ecf0ad accessible on a white background?

#ecf0ad on white scores 1.19:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #737916 to reach 4.5:1, or #565B11 for 7:1.

What is the complementary color of #ecf0ad?

#B1ADF0 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #ADCBF0 and #D3ADF0, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #ecf0ad?

For interface work: #FAFAF4 as the surface, #EAEDC0 for borders, #969B4B for secondary text, #1B39B1 as an accent and #676C14 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #F0D3AD and #CBF0AD stays calm, while #B1ADF0 is the loudest partner.

What is #ecf0ad in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(2%, 0%, 28%, 6%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #ecf0ad warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 28 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #F0DBAD; nudged cooler, #D4F1AC.

Which Tailwind color is closest to #ecf0ad?

The lime family — its 500 step is #84cc16, ΔE2000 19.5 away. That is a visible difference, so define #ecf0ad as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.

How do I use #ecf0ad in Tailwind CSS?

Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#ecf0ad] or text-[#ecf0ad], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.

What is #ecf0ad with 50% opacity?

rgba(236, 240, 173, 0.5), or #ecf0ad80 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #F6F8D6; over black, #767857.

Is #ecf0ad a web-safe color?

No. The nearest web-safe colour is #FFFF99, ΔE2000 6.7 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.

What does the color #ecf0ad mean?

As a yellow, it reads optimistic, alert, cheap-and-cheerful. The most visible hue at low light levels, which is why it owns warnings, hazard tape and value retail. At this chroma the effect is amplified — it will dominate whatever sits beside it.

What gradient works with #ecf0ad?

The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #F8F9E1, #ecf0ad 45%, #676C14). For more colour, a short hue run to #A4EB93 keeps it rich without turning muddy.

Work with #ecf0ad in the Color Lab

Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.

Every value on this page is computed from #ecf0ad at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.