#efefc5
a pale, vivid yellow · warm · closest name: Light Goldenrod Yellow
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #efefc5 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Every format
| HEX | #efefc5 |
| RGB | rgb(239, 239, 197) |
| HSL | hsl(60, 57%, 86%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 0%, 18%, 6%) |
| LAB | lab(93.5 -6.8 20.4) |
| LCH | lch(93.5 21.5 108.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.942 0.055 107.4) |
| Decimal | 15724485 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.937 0.937 0.773) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #efefc5;
background-color: #efefc5;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#efefc5] bg-[#efefc5]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #efefc5;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.937, green: 0.937, blue: 0.773)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#efefc5")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFEFEFC5)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(197, 239, 239)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #efefc5 is pinned to step 200; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #FBFBF4;
--brand-100: #F6F6E9;
--brand-200: #efefc5;
--brand-300: #E7E7A7;
--brand-400: #DBDB7B;
--brand-500: #CFCF4F;
--brand-600: #C0C035;
--brand-700: #A0A02C;
--brand-800: #808023;
--brand-900: #5D5D1D;
--brand-950: #3A3A12;
--brand: #efefc5;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #efefc5
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.
How to use #efefc5
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
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠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 | #C5C5EF | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #EFDAC5 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #DAEFC5 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #C5DAEF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #DAC5EF | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #C5EFEF | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #EFC5EF | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #C5EFDA | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#efefc5 text on a black background
contrast 17.82:1
#efefc5 text on a white background
contrast 1.18:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #efefc5;
background-color: #efefc5;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #efefc5;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(239, 239, 197, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(239, 239, 197, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #efefc5; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #efefc5, #D3EFC5);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #efefc5
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.
Closest color with a full write-up: Cream (#fffdd0) — ΔE2000 3.1 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#efefc5 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Very light tints can drop out on uncoated stock; check it at 100% size before signing off.
#efefc5, answered
What color is #efefc5?
#efefc5 is a pale vivid yellow, closest to Light Goldenrod Yellow (ΔE2000 2.4). It sits at 60° on the hue wheel with 57% saturation and 86% lightness, which reads as warm.
What is the RGB value of #efefc5?
rgb(239, 239, 197) — 239 red, 239 green and 197 blue out of 255, or 93.7% / 93.7% / 77.3% by channel.
Is #efefc5 a light or a dark color?
It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.8411 and perceived brightness is 92%, so black text on it reaches 17.82:1.
Should I use black or white text on #efefc5?
Black. It scores 17.82:1 against #efefc5, versus 1.18:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #efefc5?
#C5C5EF sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #C5DAEF and #DAC5EF, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #efefc5?
For interface work: #FAFAF4 as the surface, #EDEDC0 for borders, #9B9B4B for secondary text, #2746A5 as an accent and #64641C for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #EFDAC5 and #DAEFC5 stays calm, while #C5C5EF is the loudest partner.
What is #efefc5 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(0%, 0%, 18%, 6%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #efefc5 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 #EFE0C5; nudged cooler, #E0F0C4.