Skip to content
yellow · warm

#dddd22

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

Token name suggestion: Signal Straw

RGB
221, 221, 34
HSL
60°, 73%, 50%
CMYK
0, 0, 85, 13
Luminance
0.6720

#dddd22 is a balanced vivid yellow, 60° on the wheel and 25/100 on the cool side. Put black text on it (14.44:1). As text it scores 1.45:1 on white — use #777712 instead. Nearest name is Yellow, nearest Tailwind family is lime.

hsl(60 73% 50%)rgb(221 221 34)Base step 600AAA inkWarm

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #dddd22 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#dddd22
Hue
60°
yellow
Saturation
73%
vivid
Lightness
50%
balanced
Brightness
87%
HSV value
Perceived
82%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.6720
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
25/100 cool
Color family
Yellow
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
14.44:1
Closest name
Yellow
ΔE2000 7.7
Chroma
82.7
LCH, 0–130ish
OKLCH L
0.870
perceptual lightness
Tailwind
lime
500 · ΔE 15.2
Web-safe
#CCCC33
nearest of 216
Where it sits
Hue60° of 360°
Saturation73%
Lightness50%
Saturation × lightness field

Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #dddd22.

Temperature
Warm ← → Cool25% 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
Red23%
Green77%
Blue0%

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

Every format

HEX#dddd22
HEX (8-digit)#dddd22ff
RGBrgb(221, 221, 34)
RGBArgba(221, 221, 34, 1)
HSLhsl(60, 73%, 50%)
HSV / HSBhsv(60, 85%, 87%)
HWBhwb(60 13% 13%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 0%, 85%, 13%)
LABlab(85.6 -18.9 80.5)
LCHlch(85.6 82.7 103.2)
OKLCHoklch(0.870 0.183 109.7)
XYZ (D65)xyz(55.97, 67.20, 11.54)
Decimal14540066
Display P3color(display-p3 0.867 0.867 0.133)
Web-safe#CCCC33

Copy-ready code

every platformclick to select
/* CSS */
color: #dddd22;
background-color: #dddd22;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #dddd22;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#dddd22] bg-[#dddd22]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #dddd22;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.867, green: 0.867, blue: 0.133)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.867, green: 0.867, blue: 0.133, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#DDDD22</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFDDDD22)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDDDD22)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(34, 221, 221)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(221, 221, 34)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(221, 221, 34)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 221, 221, 34)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.8667f, 0.8667f, 0.1333f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{221,221,34}
modern cssclick to select
/* mix without leaving CSS */
background: color-mix(in oklab, #dddd22 85%, white);
border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #dddd22 40%, transparent);
/* theme-aware in one line */
color: light-dark(#6E6E11, #EEEED3);
/* relative colour syntax */
--hover: hsl(from #dddd22 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: #FCFCF3;
  --brand-100: #F8F8E7;
  --brand-200: #F3F3C8;
  --brand-300: #F0F09E;
  --brand-400: #E9E96D;
  --brand-500: #E1E13D;
  --brand-600: #dddd22;
  --brand-700: #B1B11B;
  --brand-800: #8D8D16;
  --brand-900: #666614;
  --brand-950: #40400C;
  --brand: #dddd22;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
  --brand-surface: #FAFAF4;
  --brand-border: #EDEDC0;
  --brand-hover: #BEBE1D;
  --brand-pressed: #9F9F19;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --brand-surface: #242414;
    --brand-ink: #EEEED3;
  }
}
tailwind.config.jsclick to select
theme: {
  extend: {
    colors: {
      brand: {
        50: '#FCFCF3',
        100: '#F8F8E7',
        200: '#F3F3C8',
        300: '#F0F09E',
        400: '#E9E96D',
        500: '#E1E13D',
        600: '#dddd22',
        700: '#B1B11B',
        800: '#8D8D16',
        900: '#666614',
        950: '#40400C',
        DEFAULT: '#dddd22',
      },
    },
  },
}
scss mapclick to select
$brand: (
  '50': #FCFCF3,
  '100': #F8F8E7,
  '200': #F3F3C8,
  '300': #F0F09E,
  '400': #E9E96D,
  '500': #E1E13D,
  '600': #dddd22,
  '700': #B1B11B,
  '800': #8D8D16,
  '900': #666614,
  '950': #40400C,
);
$brand-base: #dddd22;
$brand-ink: #000000;

@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }
w3c design tokens (json)click to select
{
  "color": {
    "brand": {
      "50": { "$value": "#FCFCF3", "$type": "color" },
      "100": { "$value": "#F8F8E7", "$type": "color" },
      "200": { "$value": "#F3F3C8", "$type": "color" },
      "300": { "$value": "#F0F09E", "$type": "color" },
      "400": { "$value": "#E9E96D", "$type": "color" },
      "500": { "$value": "#E1E13D", "$type": "color" },
      "600": { "$value": "#dddd22", "$type": "color" },
      "700": { "$value": "#B1B11B", "$type": "color" },
      "800": { "$value": "#8D8D16", "$type": "color" },
      "900": { "$value": "#666614", "$type": "color" },
      "950": { "$value": "#40400C", "$type": "color" }
    },
    "brandInk": { "$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 #dddd22 · 14.44:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
12px
Aa
16px
Aa
24px
Aa
White text · 1.45:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 14.44:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #dddd22 as text scores 1.45:1 on white and 14.44:1 on black.
Best tinted ink on it, if plain black or white feels flat: #6E6E11 at 3.70:1.

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
#777712 · 4.74:1
AA on white−23% L
#777712
The quick fox
#58580E · 7.45:1
AAA on white−30% L
#58580E
The quick fox
#dddd22 · 14.44:1
AA on blackalready passes
#dddd22
The quick fox
#dddd22 · 14.44:1
AAA on blackalready passes
#dddd22

Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #969617 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
#dddd22 on white: 1.45:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#dddd22 on black: 14.44:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
Against the neutral ladder

Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #dddd22 as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #dddd22.

NeutralRatioBoth directions
White1.45:1AaAa
Slate 501.39:1AaAa
Slate 1001.33:1AaAa
Slate 2001.18:1AaAa
Slate 3001.02:1AaAa
Slate 4001.76:1AaAa
Slate 5003.27:1AaAa
Slate 6005.21:1AaAa
Slate 7007.12:1AaAa
Slate 80010.06:1AaAa
Slate 90012.28:1AaAa
Black14.44:1AaAa
Colour vision deficiency
true color
protanopia · #F0D300
deuteranopia · #F2D837
tritanopia · #EDCEBD

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. #dddd22 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.

#FCFCF3
#F8F8E7
#F3F3C8
#F0F09E
#E9E96D
#E1E13D
#dddd22
#B1B11B
#8D8D16
#666614
#40400C
Base = 600Lightest = 50 · #FCFCF3Darkest = 950 · #40400CText 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 0.046 109.7);
  --brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.073 109.7);
  --brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.110 109.7);
  --brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.143 109.7);
  --brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.168 109.7);
  --brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.183 109.7);
  --brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.183 109.7);
  --brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.172 109.7);
  --brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.154 109.7);
  --brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.128 109.7);
  --brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.101 109.7);
}

Colors that work with #dddd22

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#EDEDC0
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B9B4B
Captions on the surface
Accent#1D4EE2
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#6E6E11
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FCFCE9
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#242414
Dark-mode background
Hover#BEBE1D
One step down in lightness
Pressed#9F9F19
Two steps down
Disabled#C7C7A8
Chroma pulled out
Focus ring#EBEB28
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 #dddd22

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
  • Chart series and data categories
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
Minimum size as text on white
Not as text
Safe as a fill behind white type
No — use #6E6E11
Safe as a 1px border on white
No — use #969617

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 mid lightness keeps it versatile in both themes.

Worth knowing

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

Reads as
  • FormalityMedium
  • EnergyMedium-high
  • Weight50/100
  • 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#2222DD
Analogous left#DD8022
Analogous right#80DD22
Split-complement 1#2280DD
Split-complement 2#8022DD
Triadic 1#22DDDD
Triadic 2#DD22DD
Tetradic#22DD80
On the wheel
Base+30°−30°+120°+240°+180°60°

#dddd22 sits at 60°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.

RGB percentages

Red86.7%
Green86.7%
Blue13.3%
R · 0–255
221
0xdd
G · 0–255
221
0xdd
B · 0–255
34
0x22

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta0.0%
Yellow84.6%
Key (black)13.3%

Total ink coverage is 98%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.

Color previews

#dddd22 text on a black background

contrast 14.44:1

Card sample

#dddd22 text on a white background

contrast 1.45:1

Card sample

#dddd22 on grey

1.33:1

#dddd22 on its own surface

1.39:1

#dddd22 on its dark surface

10.80:1

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #dddd22;
Background color
Panel with #dddd22 background
background-color: #dddd22;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #dddd22;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(221, 221, 34, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(221, 221, 34, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #dddd22;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #dddd22, #60DD22);
Gradient text

Gradient headline

background: linear-gradient(90deg, #dddd22, #32DD22);
-webkit-background-clip: text;
color: transparent;
Focus ring
Focused control
outline: 2px solid #dddd22;
outline-offset: 3px;
Underline & caret

Marked up text

text-decoration-color: #dddd22;
caret-color: #dddd22;
Left rule
Pull quote or callout
border-left: 4px solid #dddd22;
Ring + tint
Selected chip
background: #FCFCE9;
box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #dddd22;
Conic badge
68%
background: conic-gradient(#dddd22 68%, #e2e8f0 0);

Transparency

What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #dddd22 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(221, 221, 34, 0.5)
rgb(221 221 34 / 50%)
#dddd2280
hsl(60 73% 50% / 50%)
color-mix(in srgb, #dddd22 50%, transparent)
Alpha8-digit hexFlat on white
10%#dddd221a#FCFCE9
20%#dddd2233#F8F8D3
40%#dddd2266#F1F1A7
60%#dddd2299#EBEB7A
80%#dddd22cc#E4E44E

Gradients from #dddd22

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, #E5E557, #dddd22 45%, #6E6E11);
Duotone
A short hue run reads richer than a flat fill
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #dddd22, #47C21E);
Complement sweep
Loud — keep it behind large type only
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #dddd22, #2222DD);
Spotlight
Hero panels and app headers
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #E9E972 0%, #dddd22 45%, #6E6E11 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%, #E48D4E 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #81E13D 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #6E6E11 0%, transparent 65%), #dddd22;

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #dddd22

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.

#dddd22 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.

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 14.44:1.

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.

#dddd22, answered

What color is #dddd22?

#dddd22 is a balanced vivid yellow, closest to Yellow (ΔE2000 7.7). It sits at 60° on the hue wheel with 73% saturation and 50% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #dddd22?

rgb(221, 221, 34) — 221 red, 221 green and 34 blue out of 255, or 86.7% / 86.7% / 13.3% by channel.

What is #dddd22 in HSL and HSV?

hsl(60, 73%, 50%) and hsv(60, 85%, 87%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.

Is #dddd22 a light or a dark color?

It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.6720 and perceived brightness is 82%, so black text on it reaches 14.44:1.

Should I use black or white text on #dddd22?

Black. It scores 14.44:1 against #dddd22, versus 1.45:1 for white — AAA at any size.

Is #dddd22 accessible on a white background?

#dddd22 on white scores 1.45:1, which fails WCAG AA at every size. Darken it to #777712 to reach 4.5:1, or #58580E for 7:1.

What is the complementary color of #dddd22?

#2222DD sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #2280DD and #8022DD, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #dddd22?

For interface work: #FAFAF4 as the surface, #EDEDC0 for borders, #9B9B4B for secondary text, #1D4EE2 as an accent and #6E6E11 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #DD8022 and #80DD22 stays calm, while #2222DD is the loudest partner.

What is #dddd22 in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 0%, 85%, 13%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #dddd22 warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 25 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #DDA122; nudged cooler, #99E01F.

Which Tailwind color is closest to #dddd22?

The lime family — its 500 step is #84cc16, ΔE2000 15.2 away. That is a visible difference, so define #dddd22 as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.

How do I use #dddd22 in Tailwind CSS?

Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#dddd22] or text-[#dddd22], 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 #dddd22 with 50% opacity?

rgba(221, 221, 34, 0.5), or #dddd2280 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #EEEE91; over black, #6F6F11.

Is #dddd22 a web-safe color?

No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CCCC33, ΔE2000 4.5 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.

What does the color #dddd22 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 #dddd22?

The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #E5E557, #dddd22 45%, #6E6E11). For more colour, a short hue run to #47C21E keeps it rich without turning muddy.

Work with #dddd22 in the Color Lab

Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.

Every value on this page is computed from #dddd22 at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.