Skip to content

#cdaf2c

a balanced, vivid yellow · warm · closest name: Goldenrod

RGB
205, 175, 44
HSL
49°, 65%, 49%
CMYK
0, 15, 79, 20
Luminance
0.4382

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #cdaf2c is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#cdaf2c
Hue
49°
yellow
Saturation
65%
vivid
Lightness
49%
balanced
Brightness
80%
HSV value
Perceived
69%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.4382
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
16/100 cool
Color family
Yellow
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
9.76:1
Closest name
Goldenrod
ΔE2000 6.6
Where it sits
Hue49° of 360°
Saturation65%
Lightness49%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool16% cool

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

Every format

HEX#cdaf2c
RGBrgb(205, 175, 44)
HSLhsl(49, 65%, 49%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 15%, 79%, 20%)
LABlab(72.1 -2.1 65.8)
LCHlch(72.1 65.9 91.8)
OKLCHoklch(0.759 0.144 95.3)
Decimal13479724
Display P3color(display-p3 0.804 0.686 0.173)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #cdaf2c;
background-color: #cdaf2c;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#cdaf2c] bg-[#cdaf2c]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #cdaf2c;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.804, green: 0.686, blue: 0.173)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#cdaf2c")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFCDAF2C)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(44, 175, 205)

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 #cdaf2c · 9.76:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
White text · 2.15:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 9.76:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #cdaf2c as text scores 2.15:1 on white and 9.76:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#cdaf2c on white: 2.15:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#cdaf2c on black: 9.76:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #C2AB0B
deuteranopia · #CAB535
tritanopia · #DEA196

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #cdaf2c is pinned to step 600; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#FBFAF3
#F7F5E8
#F1EACB
#EBDEA3
#E1CD74
#D7BC46
#cdaf2c
#A88F24
#86731D
#625419
#3D350F
Base = 600Lightest = 50 · #FBFAF3Darkest = 950 · #3D350F
:root {
  --brand-50: #FBFAF3;
  --brand-100: #F7F5E8;
  --brand-200: #F1EACB;
  --brand-300: #EBDEA3;
  --brand-400: #E1CD74;
  --brand-500: #D7BC46;
  --brand-600: #cdaf2c;
  --brand-700: #A88F24;
  --brand-800: #86731D;
  --brand-900: #625419;
  --brand-950: #3D350F;
  --brand: #cdaf2c;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #cdaf2c

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#FAF9F4
Tinted page background
Border#EDE4C0
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B8C4B
Captions on the surface
Accent#2772D2
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#695A17
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FAF7EA
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#242114
Dark-mode background
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

How to use #cdaf2c

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
  • 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
  • Thin strokes and 1px borders — they disappear on light UI
  • Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate

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#2C4ACD
Analogous left#CD5E2C
Analogous right#9ACD2C
Split-complement 1#2C9ACD
Split-complement 2#5E2CCD
Triadic 1#2CCDAF
Triadic 2#AF2CCD
Tetradic#2CCD5E

RGB percentages

Red80.4%
Green68.6%
Blue17.3%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta14.6%
Yellow78.5%
Key (black)19.6%

Color previews

#cdaf2c text on a black background

contrast 9.76:1

Card sample

#cdaf2c text on a white background

contrast 2.15:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #cdaf2c;
Background color
Panel with #cdaf2c background
background-color: #cdaf2c;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #cdaf2c;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(205, 175, 44, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(205, 175, 44, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #cdaf2c;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #cdaf2c, #80CD2C);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #cdaf2c

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

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.

#cdaf2c 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
ButtonsLinksFocus statesCharts
Print note

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

#cdaf2c, answered

What color is #cdaf2c?

#cdaf2c is a balanced vivid yellow, closest to Goldenrod (ΔE2000 6.6). It sits at 49° on the hue wheel with 65% saturation and 49% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #cdaf2c?

rgb(205, 175, 44) — 205 red, 175 green and 44 blue out of 255, or 80.4% / 68.6% / 17.3% by channel.

Is #cdaf2c a light or a dark color?

It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.4382 and perceived brightness is 69%, so black text on it reaches 9.76:1.

Should I use black or white text on #cdaf2c?

Black. It scores 9.76:1 against #cdaf2c, versus 2.15:1 for white — AAA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #cdaf2c?

#2C4ACD sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #2C9ACD and #5E2CCD, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #cdaf2c?

For interface work: #FAF9F4 as the surface, #EDE4C0 for borders, #9B8C4B for secondary text, #2772D2 as an accent and #695A17 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #CD5E2C and #9ACD2C stays calm, while #2C4ACD is the loudest partner.

What is #cdaf2c in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 15%, 79%, 20%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #cdaf2c warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 16 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #CD8A2C; nudged cooler, #B2CF29.

Work with #cdaf2c in the Color Lab