#fad04f
a balanced, electric yellow · warm · closest name: Gold
Token name suggestion: Atlas Citron
#fad04f is a balanced electric yellow, 45° on the wheel and 13/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (14.20:1). As text it scores 1.48:1 on white — use #926F04 instead. Nearest name is Gold, nearest Tailwind family is yellow.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #fad04f is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #fad04f.
Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #fad04f |
| HEX (8-digit) | #fad04fff |
| RGB | rgb(250, 208, 79) |
| RGBA | rgba(250, 208, 79, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(45, 95%, 65%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(45, 68%, 98%) |
| HWB | hwb(45 31% 2%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 17%, 68%, 2%) |
| LAB | lab(85.0 1.5 66.9) |
| LCH | lch(85.0 66.9 88.7) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.871 0.150 90.6) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(63.39, 66.00, 16.80) |
| Decimal | 16437327 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.980 0.816 0.310) |
| Web-safe | #FFCC66 |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #fad04f;
background-color: #fad04f;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #fad04f;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#fad04f] bg-[#fad04f]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #fad04f;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.980, green: 0.816, blue: 0.310)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.980, green: 0.816, blue: 0.310, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#FAD04F</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFFAD04F)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFFAD04F)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(79, 208, 250)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(250, 208, 79)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(250, 208, 79)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 250, 208, 79)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.9804f, 0.8157f, 0.3098f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{250,208,79}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #fad04f 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #fad04f 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#7C5E04, #EEE7D3); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #fad04f h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #FDFAF1;
--brand-100: #FBF6E4;
--brand-200: #FAECC2;
--brand-300: #FCE292;
--brand-400: #fad04f;
--brand-500: #F9C525;
--brand-600: #EEB507;
--brand-700: #C69706;
--brand-800: #9F7904;
--brand-900: #725808;
--brand-950: #483705;
--brand: #fad04f;
--brand-ink: #000000;
--brand-surface: #FAF9F4;
--brand-border: #EDE2C0;
--brand-hover: #F9C72C;
--brand-pressed: #F8BE09;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #242014;
--brand-ink: #EEE7D3;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#FDFAF1',
100: '#FBF6E4',
200: '#FAECC2',
300: '#FCE292',
400: '#fad04f',
500: '#F9C525',
600: '#EEB507',
700: '#C69706',
800: '#9F7904',
900: '#725808',
950: '#483705',
DEFAULT: '#fad04f',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #FDFAF1,
'100': #FBF6E4,
'200': #FAECC2,
'300': #FCE292,
'400': #fad04f,
'500': #F9C525,
'600': #EEB507,
'700': #C69706,
'800': #9F7904,
'900': #725808,
'950': #483705,
);
$brand-base: #fad04f;
$brand-ink: #000000;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#FDFAF1", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#FBF6E4", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#FAECC2", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#FCE292", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#fad04f", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#F9C525", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#EEB507", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#C69706", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#9F7904", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#725808", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#483705", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$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.
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.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #BA8E05 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
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #fad04f as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #fad04f.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 1.48:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 1.41:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 1.35:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 1.20:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 1.00:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.73:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 3.22:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 5.12:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 7.00:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 9.89:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 12.07:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 14.20:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
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. #fad04f is pinned to step 400; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
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.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.037 90.6);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.060 90.6);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.090 90.6);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.117 90.6);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.138 90.6);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.150 90.6);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.150 90.6);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.141 90.6);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.126 90.6);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.105 90.6);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.083 90.6);
}Colors that work with #fad04f
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
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.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #fad04f
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ✓Chart series and data categories
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠Thin strokes and 1px borders — they disappear on light UI
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
The most visible hue at low light levels, which is why it owns warnings, hazard tape and value retail.
At this chroma the association is amplified — it will dominate anything placed beside it, so give it space and use it sparingly. The mid lightness keeps it versatile in both themes.
Almost never passes contrast against white. Treat it as a surface or a marker, not as text.
- FormalityLow
- EnergyHigh
- Weight36/100
- 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 | #4F79FA | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #FA7B4F | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #CEFA4F | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #4FCEFA | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #7B4FFA | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #4FFAD0 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #D04FFA | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #4FFA7B | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#fad04f sits at 45°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 87%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#fad04f text on a black background
contrast 14.20:1
#fad04f text on a white background
contrast 1.48:1
#fad04f on grey
1.35:1
#fad04f on its own surface
1.40:1
#fad04f on its dark surface
10.99:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #fad04f;
background-color: #fad04f;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #fad04f;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(250, 208, 79, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(250, 208, 79, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #fad04f; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #fad04f, #B2FA4F);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #fad04f, #87FA4F); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #fad04f; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #fad04f; caret-color: #fad04f;
border-left: 4px solid #fad04f;
background: #FEF8E6; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #fad04f;
background: conic-gradient(#fad04f 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #fad04f 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.
rgba(250, 208, 79, 0.5) rgb(250 208 79 / 50%) #fad04f80 hsl(45 95% 65% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #fad04f 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #fad04f1a | #FFFAED |
| 20% | #fad04f33 | #FEF6DC |
| 40% | #fad04f66 | #FDECB9 |
| 60% | #fad04f99 | #FCE395 |
| 80% | #fad04fcc | #FBD972 |
Gradients from #fad04f
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #FCE08A, #fad04f 45%, #7C5E04);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #fad04f, #94F931);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #fad04f, #4F79FA);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #FDE8A8 0%, #fad04f 45%, #7C5E04 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #FAF9F4, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #FB9681 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #CBFB6D 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #7C5E04 0%, transparent 65%), #fad04f;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #fad04f
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.
Closest color with a full write-up: Mustard (#ffdb58) — ΔE2000 2.8 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#fad04f in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Sits outside most CMYK gamuts — expect a duller press result, or specify a spot ink.
Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.
Usable as-is on a dark surface at 14.20:1.
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.
#fad04f, answered
What color is #fad04f?
#fad04f is a balanced electric yellow, closest to Gold (ΔE2000 5.1). It sits at 45° on the hue wheel with 95% saturation and 65% lightness, which reads as warm.
What is the RGB value of #fad04f?
rgb(250, 208, 79) — 250 red, 208 green and 79 blue out of 255, or 98% / 81.6% / 31% by channel.
What is #fad04f in HSL and HSV?
hsl(45, 95%, 65%) and hsv(45, 68%, 98%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #fad04f a light or a dark color?
It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.6600 and perceived brightness is 83%, so black text on it reaches 14.20:1.
Should I use black or white text on #fad04f?
Black. It scores 14.20:1 against #fad04f, versus 1.48:1 for white — AAA at any size.
Is #fad04f accessible on a white background?
#fad04f on white scores 1.48:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #926F04 to reach 4.5:1, or #705503 for 7:1.
What is the complementary color of #fad04f?
#4F79FA sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #4FCEFA and #7B4FFA, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #fad04f?
For interface work: #FAF9F4 as the surface, #EDE2C0 for borders, #9B874B for secondary text, #0165CB as an accent and #7C5E04 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #FA7B4F and #CEFA4F stays calm, while #4F79FA is the loudest partner.
What is #fad04f in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(0%, 17%, 68%, 2%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — a color this saturated sits outside most CMYK gamuts and will print duller than it looks here.
Is #fad04f warm or cool?
Warm — it scores 13 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #FAB04F; nudged cooler, #E7FC4D.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #fad04f?
The yellow family — its 500 step is #eab308, ΔE2000 7.6 away. That is a visible difference, so define #fad04f as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #fad04f in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#fad04f] or text-[#fad04f], 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 #fad04f with 50% opacity?
rgba(250, 208, 79, 0.5), or #fad04f80 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #FDE8A7; over black, #7D6828.
Is #fad04f a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #FFCC66, ΔE2000 4.8 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #fad04f 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 #fad04f?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #FCE08A, #fad04f 45%, #7C5E04). For more colour, a short hue run to #94F931 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #fad04f in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #fad04f at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.