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#fef486

a light, electric yellow · warm · closest name: Khaki

RGB
254, 244, 134
HSL
55°, 98%, 76%
CMYK
0, 4, 47, 0
Luminance
0.8749

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #fef486 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#fef486
Hue
55°
yellow
Saturation
98%
electric
Lightness
76%
light
Brightness
100%
HSV value
Perceived
93%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.8749
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
21/100 cool
Color family
Yellow
Tone
Electric
Best ink
Black
18.50:1
Closest name
Khaki
ΔE2000 4
Where it sits
Hue55° of 360°
Saturation98%
Lightness76%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool21% 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#fef486
RGBrgb(254, 244, 134)
HSLhsl(55, 98%, 76%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 4%, 47%, 0%)
LABlab(95.0 -11.1 53.8)
LCHlch(95.0 55.0 101.6)
OKLCHoklch(0.953 0.132 104.0)
Decimal16708742
Display P3color(display-p3 0.996 0.957 0.525)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #fef486;
background-color: #fef486;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#fef486] bg-[#fef486]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #fef486;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.996, green: 0.957, blue: 0.525)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#fef486")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFFEF486)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(134, 244, 254)

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 #fef486 · 18.50:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
White text · 1.14:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 18.50:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #fef486 as text scores 1.14:1 on white and 18.50:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#fef486 on white: 1.14:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#fef486 on black: 18.50:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #FFED7D
deuteranopia · #FFF38B
tritanopia · #FFE7DA

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #fef486 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.

#FEFCF1
#FCFAE3
#FBF6C1
#fef486
#FEF058
#FDEB20
#F3DF02
#CABA02
#A29501
#756B06
#494304
Base = 300Lightest = 50 · #FEFCF1Darkest = 950 · #494304
:root {
  --brand-50: #FEFCF1;
  --brand-100: #FCFAE3;
  --brand-200: #FBF6C1;
  --brand-300: #fef486;
  --brand-400: #FEF058;
  --brand-500: #FDEB20;
  --brand-600: #F3DF02;
  --brand-700: #CABA02;
  --brand-800: #A29501;
  --brand-900: #756B06;
  --brand-950: #494304;
  --brand: #fef486;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #fef486

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#EDE9C0
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B944B
Captions on the surface
Accent#0045CC
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#7E7401
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FFFDE6
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#242314
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 #fef486

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#8690FE
Analogous left#FEB886
Analogous right#CCFE86
Split-complement 1#86CCFE
Split-complement 2#B886FE
Triadic 1#86FEF4
Triadic 2#F486FE
Tetradic#86FEB8

RGB percentages

Red99.6%
Green95.7%
Blue52.5%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta3.9%
Yellow47.2%
Key (black)0.4%

Color previews

#fef486 text on a black background

contrast 18.50:1

Card sample

#fef486 text on a white background

contrast 1.14:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #fef486;
Background color
Panel with #fef486 background
background-color: #fef486;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #fef486;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(254, 244, 134, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(254, 244, 134, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #fef486;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #fef486, #B8FE86);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #fef486

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.

#fef486 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

Sits outside most CMYK gamuts — expect a duller press result, or specify a spot ink.

#fef486, answered

What color is #fef486?

#fef486 is a light electric yellow, closest to Khaki (ΔE2000 4). It sits at 55° on the hue wheel with 98% saturation and 76% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #fef486?

rgb(254, 244, 134) — 254 red, 244 green and 134 blue out of 255, or 99.6% / 95.7% / 52.5% by channel.

Is #fef486 a light or a dark color?

It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.8749 and perceived brightness is 93%, so black text on it reaches 18.50:1.

Should I use black or white text on #fef486?

Black. It scores 18.50:1 against #fef486, versus 1.14:1 for white — AAA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #fef486?

#8690FE sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #86CCFE and #B886FE, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #fef486?

For interface work: #FAFAF4 as the surface, #EDE9C0 for borders, #9B944B for secondary text, #0045CC as an accent and #7E7401 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #FEB886 and #CCFE86 stays calm, while #8690FE is the loudest partner.

What is #fef486 in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 4%, 47%, 0%). 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 #fef486 warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 21 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #FECD86; nudged cooler, #DCFF85.

Work with #fef486 in the Color Lab