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yellow
Coated (C)

Pantone 121 C

#FCD757 · rgb(252, 215, 87)

HEX

#FCD757

RGB

rgb(252, 215, 87)

CMYK

cmyk(0%, 15%, 65%, 1%)

HSL

hsl(47, 96%, 66%)

LAB

lab(87.0, -0.8, 65.7)

What is Pantone 121 C?

Pantone 121 C is a Coated (C) PMS reference in the yellow family. Its current screen approximation on PantoneTools is #FCD757, rgb(252, 215, 87), and cmyk(0%, 15%, 65%, 1%). Use it when you need a quick Pantone to HEX, Pantone to RGB, or Pantone to CMYK lookup for brand exploration, UI palettes, and print handoff conversations. For accessibility, this page tests Pantone 121 C as a background and currently recommends black text as the safer default before final contrast review. The tints, shades, complementary palette, and developer exports are generated from the same sRGB value so teams can keep web tokens and design notes aligned. These digital values are approximations rather than licensed Pantone specifications; confirm production-critical color with a current physical guide, D50 lighting, and a printer proof.

Workflow context for Pantone 121 C

Yellow coated production notes

Because this is a coated-paper reference, use it for glossy stock, laminated labels, premium cartons, and spot-color conversations where ink sits on a less absorbent surface. Do not assume the same visual result on kraft, recycled, or uncoated paper without a separate proof. Yellow is one of the hardest families for accessibility. It usually needs black or very dark text, and many yellow tints should be treated as accent or highlight colors rather than body-text backgrounds.

  • Use Pantone 121 C as a digital reference first, then confirm production work against a physical guide or approved proof.
  • Record the approved coated value separately from CMYK, HEX, RGB, and design-token fallbacks.
  • For UI or web use, pair this color with black text only after checking the actual contrast ratio in context.
  • When sending to a vendor, include the expected substrate, lighting condition, and approval owner instead of only sending a HEX value.

Use this color with

Brand consistency systemsDocument Pantone, CMYK, HEX, RGB, and tolerance rules together.Accessibility workflowReview whether black text is acceptable for real UI use.Coated vs uncoatedUnderstand why the same PMS number changes across paper finish.

Data provenance

Curated community sRGB approximations

Hand-curated approximate sRGB visual equivalents for screen preview and matching workflows. This is not an official Pantone licensed value source. Use for educational lookup, digital previews, nearest-color matching, accessibility checks, and workflow planning. Confirm production color against physical guides, licensed values, or printer proofs.

Source type
community-reference
Confidence
low
Last reviewed
2026-05-23

Scale metadata

These fields are used by the scale audit before any larger color-directory expansion. They are intentionally conservative because current values are approximate screen references.

yellow
coated
screen-reference
pantone-approximation
proof-required

Yellow and light warm colors require careful contrast review in UI and can be strongly affected by paper color in print.

Tints, Shades & Scale

A balanced 11-step scale derived from Pantone 121 C for design system use.

Complementary Palette

Quick palette of tint, base, shade, and complement for layout exploration.

#FDE79A

#FCD757

#978134

#0328A8

Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Pantone 121 C as a background.

Black text on this color

Sample text · 15.00 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

White text on this color

Sample text · 1.40 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

Similar Pantone Colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantones to Pantone 121 C (same finish).

Copied #FED141

Pantone 115 C · ΔE 2.60

#FED141

C
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Pantone 122 C · ΔE 2.60

#FED141

C
Copied #FFD100

Pantone 109 C · ΔE 4.85

#FFD100

C
Copied #FFCD00

Pantone 116 C · ΔE 5.25

#FFCD00

C
Copied #FFDD00

Pantone 108 C · ΔE 5.50

#FFDD00

C
Copied #FEDD00

Pantone Yellow C · ΔE 5.55

#FEDD00

C

Similar RAL Colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references to Pantone 121 C. RAL approximations are not interchangeable with Pantone spot colors; use as a cross-reference for industrial coatings and powder coat workflows.

Copied #F5D033

RAL 1017

#F5D033

Saffron yellow

Copied #FAD201

RAL 1023

#FAD201

Traffic yellow

Copied #E1CC4F

RAL 1014

#E1CC4F

Ivory

Copied #F3DA0B

RAL 1021

#F3DA0B

Rape yellow

Copied #E5BE01

RAL 1003

#E5BE01

Signal yellow

Copied #E6D690

RAL 1015

#E6D690

Light ivory

Developer Exports

CSS Variables

:root {
  --p-121-c: #FCD757;
  --p-121-c-rgb: 252 215 87;
  --p-121-c-hsl: 47 96% 66%;
}

Tailwind Scale

// tailwind.config.ts
export default {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        p-121-c: {
          DEFAULT: "#FCD757",
          50: "#FFFCF2",
          100: "#FFF9E4",
          200: "#FEF2C9",
          300: "#FEEBAB",
          400: "#FDE181",
          500: "#FCD757",
          600: "#D6B74A",
          700: "#A48C39",
          800: "#716127",
          900: "#3F3616",
          950: "#1E1A0A",
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

Design Token JSON

{
  "name": "Pantone 121 C",
  "hex": "#FCD757",
  "rgb": {
    "r": 252,
    "g": 215,
    "b": 87
  },
  "cmyk": {
    "c": 0,
    "m": 15,
    "y": 65,
    "k": 1
  },
  "hsl": {
    "h": 47,
    "s": 96,
    "l": 66
  },
  "lab": {
    "l": 86.99,
    "a": -0.79,
    "b": 65.73
  },
  "pantone": {
    "code": "Pantone 121 C",
    "finish": "coated",
    "family": "yellow"
  }
}

Convert Pantone 121 C

Pantone → HEXPantone → RGBPantone → CMYKPantone → LABPantone → RALBrowse all colors
Pantone 121 C Color Values | PantoneTools