Skip to content

#ecdf99

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

RGB
236, 223, 153
HSL
51°, 69%, 76%
CMYK
0, 6, 35, 8
Luminance
0.7291

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #ecdf99 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#ecdf99
Hue
51°
yellow
Saturation
69%
vivid
Lightness
76%
light
Brightness
93%
HSV value
Perceived
86%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.7291
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
17/100 cool
Color family
Yellow
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
15.58:1
Closest name
Pale Goldenrod
ΔE2000 3.2
Where it sits
Hue51° of 360°
Saturation69%
Lightness76%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool17% 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#ecdf99
RGBrgb(236, 223, 153)
HSLhsl(51, 69%, 76%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 6%, 35%, 8%)
LABlab(88.4 -5.6 36.0)
LCHlch(88.4 36.4 98.9)
OKLCHoklch(0.898 0.090 98.9)
Decimal15523737
Display P3color(display-p3 0.925 0.875 0.600)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #ecdf99;
background-color: #ecdf99;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#ecdf99] bg-[#ecdf99]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #ecdf99;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.925, green: 0.875, blue: 0.600)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#ecdf99")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFECDF99)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(153, 223, 236)

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 #ecdf99 · 15.58:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
White text · 1.35:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 15.58:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #ecdf99 as text scores 1.35:1 on white and 15.58:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#ecdf99 on white: 1.35:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#ecdf99 on black: 15.58:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #ECDB94
deuteranopia · #F0E09C
tritanopia · #F8D5CD

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #ecdf99 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.

#FBFAF3
#F8F5E8
#F2ECCA
#ecdf99
#E5D271
#DCC442
#CEB426
#AC9620
#8A781A
#645817
#3E370E
Base = 300Lightest = 50 · #FBFAF3Darkest = 950 · #3E370E
:root {
  --brand-50: #FBFAF3;
  --brand-100: #F8F5E8;
  --brand-200: #F2ECCA;
  --brand-300: #ecdf99;
  --brand-400: #E5D271;
  --brand-500: #DCC442;
  --brand-600: #CEB426;
  --brand-700: #AC9620;
  --brand-800: #8A781A;
  --brand-900: #645817;
  --brand-950: #3E370E;
  --brand: #ecdf99;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #ecdf99

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#EDE6C0
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B8E4B
Captions on the surface
Accent#1D58AF
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#6B5E14
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FBF8EA
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#242214
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 #ecdf99

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

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#99A6EC
Analogous left#ECB699
Analogous right#D0EC99
Split-complement 1#99D0EC
Split-complement 2#B699EC
Triadic 1#99ECDF
Triadic 2#DF99EC
Tetradic#99ECB6

RGB percentages

Red92.5%
Green87.5%
Blue60.0%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta5.5%
Yellow35.2%
Key (black)7.5%

Color previews

#ecdf99 text on a black background

contrast 15.58:1

Card sample

#ecdf99 text on a white background

contrast 1.35:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #ecdf99;
Background color
Panel with #ecdf99 background
background-color: #ecdf99;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #ecdf99;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(236, 223, 153, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(236, 223, 153, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #ecdf99;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ecdf99, #C2EC99);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #ecdf99

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.

#ecdf99 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.

#ecdf99, answered

What color is #ecdf99?

#ecdf99 is a light vivid yellow, closest to Pale Goldenrod (ΔE2000 3.2). It sits at 51° on the hue wheel with 69% saturation and 76% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #ecdf99?

rgb(236, 223, 153) — 236 red, 223 green and 153 blue out of 255, or 92.5% / 87.5% / 60% by channel.

Is #ecdf99 a light or a dark color?

It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.7291 and perceived brightness is 86%, so black text on it reaches 15.58:1.

Should I use black or white text on #ecdf99?

Black. It scores 15.58:1 against #ecdf99, versus 1.35:1 for white — AAA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #ecdf99?

#99A6EC sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #99D0EC and #B699EC, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #ecdf99?

For interface work: #FAF9F4 as the surface, #EDE6C0 for borders, #9B8E4B for secondary text, #1D58AF as an accent and #6B5E14 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #ECB699 and #D0EC99 stays calm, while #99A6EC is the loudest partner.

What is #ecdf99 in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 6%, 35%, 8%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #ecdf99 warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 17 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #ECC599; nudged cooler, #DBED98.

Work with #ecdf99 in the Color Lab