Yellow
yellow · #FFFF00
HEX
#FFFF00
RGB
rgb(255, 255, 0)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 0%, 100%, 0%)
HSL
hsl(60, 100%, 50%)
LAB
lab(97.1, -21.6, 94.5)
What is Yellow?
Yellow is the yellow reference in the CSS Named Colors. Its sRGB value is #FFFF00 (rgb 255, 255, 0). It sits in the yellow family. The 147 named colors defined by the W3C CSS Color Module Level 4 specification — usable directly in CSS as keywords like 'crimson' or 'rebeccapurple'. See disclaimer for accuracy and trademark notes.
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Yellow as a background.
Black text on this color
White text on this color
Shades, tints & tonal scale of Yellow
An 11-step tonal scale derived from Yellow (#FFFF00). Click any swatch to copy its HEX. Use these as a starting point for design tokens, hover states, and disabled states in a design system.
50
#FFFFEB
#FFFFEB
100
#FFFFD6
#FFFFD6
200
#FFFFAD
#FFFFAD
300
#FFFF80
#FFFF80
400
#FFFF40
#FFFF40
500
#FFFF00
#FFFF00
600
#D9D900
#D9D900
700
#A6A600
#A6A600
800
#737300
#737300
900
#404000
#404000
950
#1F1F00
#1F1F00
Lighter tints (mixed with white)
15%
#FFFF6C
30%
#FFFF95
45%
#FFFFB3
60%
#FFFFCB
75%
#FFFFE1
Darker shades (mixed with black)
15%
#EDED00
30%
#DADA00
45%
#C4C400
60%
#AAAA00
75%
#898900
Color harmonies for Yellow
Classic color-theory harmonies derived from rotating the hue of Yellow. Use these to build accent palettes, brand systems, and accessible UI color pairings.
Complementary
180° opposite — strongest contrast
#FFFF00
#FFFF00
#0000FF
#0000FF
Triadic
Three colors 120° apart
#FFFF00
#FFFF00
#00FFFF
#00FFFF
#FF00FF
#FF00FF
Analogous
Two neighbors ±30° on the wheel
#FF8000
#FF8000
#FFFF00
#FFFF00
#80FF00
#80FF00
Split-complementary
Base + two colors flanking its complement
#FFFF00
#FFFF00
#007FFF
#007FFF
#7F00FF
#7F00FF
Tetradic
Two complementary pairs
#FFFF00
#FFFF00
#00FF00
#00FF00
#0000FF
#0000FF
#FF00FF
#FF00FF
Square
Four colors evenly spaced 90° apart
#FFFF00
#FFFF00
#00FF80
#00FF80
#0000FF
#0000FF
#FF0080
#FF0080
Yellow in every color space
Full conversion of Yellow across the color spaces designers and developers actually use — including OKLCH (the perceptually-uniform space that powers Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4) and HWB.
HEX
#FFFF00
RGB
rgb(255, 255, 0)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 0%, 100%, 0%)
HSL
hsl(60, 100%, 50%)
HSV
hsv(60, 100%, 100%)
HWB
hwb(60 0% 0%)
CIE Lab
lab(97.1 -21.6 94.5)
OKLCH
oklch(96.8% 0.211 109.8)
XYZ (D65)
xyz(77.00, 92.78, 13.85)
Copy-ready code for Yellow
Drop-in snippets for CSS, Tailwind, Sass, iOS Swift, and Android XML. Click the copy button on any snippet to put it on your clipboard.
CSS
color: #FFFF00;
background-color: #FFFF00;CSS variable
:root {
--color-yellow: #FFFF00;
}Tailwind config
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
'yellow': '#FFFF00',
}Sass
$color-yellow: #FFFF00;Swift UIColor
UIColor(red: 1.000, green: 1.000, blue: 0.000, alpha: 1.0)Android XML
<color name="yellow">#FFFF00</color>Closest match in every color system
The nearest Yellow equivalent in every other color system on this site, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance. Useful when translating between design-system, web-standard, and industrial color references.
Closest in CSS Named Colors
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest entries within the same collection.
Closest Pantone matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantone references. Cross-system matching is approximate — see disclaimer.
Closest RAL Classic matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references for industrial coating cross-reference.
RAL 1026
#FFFF00
Luminous yellow
RAL 1018
#F8F32B
Zinc yellow
RAL 1016
#EDFF21
Sulfur yellow
RAL 1021
#F3DA0B
Rape yellow
RAL 1023
#FAD201
Traffic yellow
RAL 1017
#F5D033
Saffron yellow
FAQ about Yellow
What is the HEX code for Yellow?
Yellow (yellow) has the HEX code #FFFF00. In RGB it is rgb(255, 255, 0), and in CMYK it is cmyk(0%, 0%, 100%, 0%).
What is the OKLCH value of Yellow?
Yellow converts to oklch(0.968 0.211 109.8). OKLCH is the perceptually uniform color space used by Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4.
Is Yellow accessible for body text?
Used as a background, Yellow has a contrast ratio of 19.56:1 with black text and 1.07:1 with white text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text. The current recommendation is to use black text and verify in real UI context.
What is the closest Pantone to Yellow?
The closest Pantone reference to Yellow by ΔE2000 perceptual distance is Pantone Process Yellow C (#FFEF00). Cross-system Pantone matching is approximate; for color-critical print work, verify with a physical Pantone guide.
What is the closest RAL color to Yellow?
The closest RAL Classic reference to Yellow by ΔE2000 distance is RAL 1026 (Luminous yellow, #FFFF00). RAL is a German industrial coating standard commonly used for paint, powder coat, and architectural specification.
What is the complementary color of Yellow?
The complementary color (180° opposite on the HSL color wheel) of Yellow is #0000FF. Use it for high-contrast accents, error states, or call-to-action pairings.
Data provenance & source
CSS Named Colors (CSS Color Module Level 4)
The 147 named colors defined by the W3C CSS Color Module Level 4 specification. Origin: VGA (16) + X11 (rest) + 'rebeccapurple'. Use as a reference for web color names that all browsers natively support. Names like 'crimson' or 'rebeccapurple' work as CSS values without any framework.
- Source type
- derived
- Confidence
- high
- License
- W3C permissive document license
- Last reviewed
- 2026-05-24
Workflow tags
CSS named colors are sRGB digital values defined for browsers. For print, convert to a process-appropriate color and proof against substrate.