Yellow Color

Yellow is the hex color #FFFF00. Here are its RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK, and OKLCH values, ready-made shades and palettes, and the text colors that stay readable on it.

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Yellow color codes

HEX
#FFFF00
HEX8
#FFFF00FF
HEX8 (Android)
#FFFFFF00
RGB
rgb(255, 255, 0)
RGB (%)
100%, 100%, 0%
HSL
hsl(60, 100%, 50%)
HSV / HSB
hsv(60, 100%, 100%)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 0%, 100%, 0%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.968 0.211 109.77)
OKLCH (%)
oklch(96.8% 0.211 109.77)
Decimal
16776960

What color is #FFFF00?

#FFFF00 is pure Yellow, formed by full red and full green light with no blue. In HSL it has a hue of 60°, 100% saturation, and 50% lightness. It’s the brightest, most visible color to the human eye and a single‑ink color in print (just yellow).

The meaning of Yellow

Yellow is the color of sunshine, optimism, energy, and attention. Because it’s the most visible color to the eye, it reads as both cheerful and useful for warnings.

Where Yellow is used

Yellow is used for warnings and caution (hazard signs), highlights, and happy, energetic brands. Pure #FFFF00 is extremely bright and almost always needs black text; softer yellows like Gold #FFD700 or Amber #FFBF00 are easier to use across large areas.

Shades and tints of Yellow

Tints

#FFFF33 Yellow
#FFFF66 Yellow
#FFFF99 Khaki
#FFFFCC LemonChiffon

Shades

#CCCC00 Gold
#999900 Olive
#666600 DarkOliveGreen
#333300 DarkOliveGreen

Yellow color harmonies

Complementary

#FFFF00 Yellow
#0000FF Blue

Analogous

#FFFF00 Yellow
#FF8000 DarkOrange
#80FF00 Chartreuse

Triadic

#FFFF00 Yellow
#00FFFF Aqua
#FF00FF Fuchsia

Split-complementary

#FFFF00 Yellow
#007FFF DodgerBlue
#7F00FF BlueViolet

Using Yellow in CSS

.text       { color: #FFFF00; }
.background { background-color: #FFFF00; }
.border     { border: 2px solid #FFFF00; }

/* Modern, perceptually uniform */
.text { color: oklch(0.968 0.211 109.77); }

/* Yellow at 50% transparency */
.overlay { background-color: #FFFF0080; }

Is Yellow accessible?

Yellow on white text scores 1.07:1; on black text it scores 19.56:1. Black text on yellow is near‑maximum contrast (19.56:1, WCAG AAA); white text is essentially invisible. Recommended text color on a Yellow background: black.

A 19.56:1 vs black
A 1.07:1 vs white
  • AA normal ≥ 4.5 Pass
  • AA large ≥ 3 Pass
  • AAA normal ≥ 7 Pass
  • AAA large ≥ 4.5 Pass

Recommended text color: black

CSS contrast-color() contrast-color(#FFFF00) → black
APCA Lc experimental 101.4 Lc · body text — preferred (black text)

WCAG 2.1 AA/AAA is the compliance floor; APCA is an optional readability metric.

Frequently asked questions

What is the hex code for yellow?
The hex code for pure yellow is #FFFF00 (rgb(255, 255, 0)).
What text color works on yellow?
Black — black text on #FFFF00 scores 19.56:1, while white text is essentially invisible (1.07:1).
What is yellow in CMYK?
Pure yellow #FFFF00 is cmyk(0%, 0%, 100%, 0%) — a single ink.

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