#F9E181
Closest named color: Light Gold (#F3DE8A). oklch(91% 0.119 95.7), rgb(249, 225, 129).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (16.11:1).
About this color
#F9E181 is a very light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 91%, its chroma 0.119 and its hue 96°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Gold (#F3DE8A), ΔE 0.016 away. Black text reads best on it, at 16.11:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | very light (91%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.119) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Light Gold (#F3DE8A) |
| Black text | 16.11:1 |
| White text | 1.30:1 |
Values
| HEX | #F9E181 |
| RGB | rgb(249, 225, 129) |
| HSL | hsl(48, 91%, 74%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(91% 0.119 95.7) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #F9E181 | 1.30:1 | Fails | Lc -17.2 | Dividers and decoration only |
| Black text on #F9E181 | 16.11:1 | AAA | Lc 88.7 | Fine for body text |
| #F9E181 text on white | 1.30:1 | Fails | Lc 14.9 | Not readable |
| #F9E181 text on black | 16.11:1 | AAA | Lc -88.8 | Fine for body text |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 200.
-
Step 50
50
#F9F6E6
oklch(97.1% 0.021 98.1)
-
Step 100
100
#F3EAC9
oklch(93.6% 0.044 94.5)
-
Step 200
200 (this color)
#F9E181
oklch(91% 0.119 95.7)
-
Step 300
300
#DFBF30
oklch(80.9% 0.154 95.6)
-
Step 400
400
#BC9F00
oklch(70.7% 0.145 95.9)
-
Step 500
500
#A18800
oklch(63.1% 0.13 96)
-
Step 600
600
#887200
oklch(55.6% 0.114 95.6)
-
Step 700
700
#726000
oklch(49.2% 0.101 96.3)
-
Step 800
800
#5E4E00
oklch(42.8% 0.088 95.4)
-
Step 900
900
#4E4100
oklch(37.8% 0.078 96.2)
-
Step 950
950
#2F2600
oklch(27.1% 0.056 95.5)
#F9E181 with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #F2DD79 | 0.016 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #F9E585 | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #FFD4CA | 0.106 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #E1E1E1 | 0.119 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #F9E181
#F9E181
oklch(91% 0.119 95.7)
- #D9DFFF
#D9DFFF
oklch(90.9% 0.044 277.1)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #F9E181, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Gold #F3DE8A ΔE 0.016
- Khaki #F0E68C ΔE 0.017
- Pale Gold #FDDE6C ΔE 0.019
- Yellow Tan #FFE36E ΔE 0.021
- Sandy #F1DA7A ΔE 0.022
- Sand Yellow #FCE166 ΔE 0.025
- Light Mustard #F7D560 ΔE 0.036
- Sunglow #FFD166 ΔE 0.039
Use #F9E181 in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.