Skip to content

Marigold #eaa221

The flower that celebrates the dead.

RGB
234, 162, 33
HSL
39°, 83%, 52%
CMYK
0, 31, 86, 8
Luminance
0.4344

About Marigold

Marigold, #eaa221, is orange-gold at festival brightness — the bloom that garlands Diwali, Day of the Dead and Hindu weddings alike. Between amber and orange, it is warmth turned ceremonial.

History

Marigolds crossed from the Americas to become sacred across Asia within a century; their petals dye cloth, flavor food (poor man’s saffron) and carpet festivals. The color name followed the flower’s ubiquity in celebration.

Psychology

Marigold reads joyful, spiritual and abundant — orange’s energy with gold’s significance. It is the color of thresholds and offerings, celebration made visible.

In design

Marigold is a warm statement accent: vivid on charcoal, teal and deep purple, borderline as text (large only). Pair with magenta and teal (festival), charcoal (modern), forest and cream (harvest). Cultural and celebratory branding pours it liberally.

In culture

Marigold garlands, cempasúchil paths guiding spirits home, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel": the flower bridges celebration and remembrance across continents.

Brands that own marigold

Shades of marigold

Every format

HEX#eaa221
RGBrgb(234, 162, 33)
HSLhsl(39, 83%, 52%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 31%, 86%, 8%)
LABlab(71.9 17.1 70.1)
LCHlch(71.9 72.1 76.3)
OKLCHoklch(0.764 0.153 75.2)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #eaa221;
background-color: #eaa221;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#eaa221] bg-[#eaa221]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #eaa221;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.918, green: 0.635, blue: 0.129)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#eaa221")

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#eaa221 on white: 2.17:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#eaa221 on black: 9.69:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia
deuteranopia
tritanopia

RGB percentages

Red91.8%
Green63.5%
Blue12.9%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta30.8%
Yellow85.9%
Key (black)8.2%

Color previews

#eaa221 text on a black background

contrast 9.69:1

Card sample

#eaa221 text on a white background

contrast 2.17:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #eaa221;
Background color
Panel with #eaa221 background
background-color: #eaa221;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #eaa221;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(234, 162, 33, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(234, 162, 33, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #eaa221;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #eaa221, #ACEA21);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #eaa221

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

Hue & tone neighbors

Color harmonies

Nearest named colors

Marigold, answered

What is the hex code for marigold?

Marigold is #eaa221 — between amber #ffbf00 and orange #ffa500; deeper festival marigolds run #e59500.

Why are marigolds used in festivals?

Their vivid color, abundance and long-lasting blooms made them sacred offerings across Hindu and Mesoamerican traditions — marking thresholds between worlds.

Marigold vs amber vs saffron?

Saffron is the spice’s red-gold, amber the glowing middle, marigold the flower’s orange-gold — warmer and more orange than both.

Work with #eaa221 in the Color Lab