Saffron #E9C46A
Saffron is a light, moderately saturated orange with hex code #E9C46A and RGB rgb(233, 196, 106).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.56:1).
About this color
#E9C46A is a light, moderately saturated orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 83%, its chroma 0.117 and its hue 87°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. It is the named color Saffron. Black text reads best on it, at 12.56:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | light (83%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.117) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Saffron |
| Black text | 12.56:1 |
| White text | 1.67:1 |
Colors that go with Saffron
Matches found by rotating Saffron around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Saffron
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Saffron, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Saffron, with their ΔE distance.
- Sand #E2CA76 ΔE 0.017
- Maximum Yellow Red #FCBF49 ΔE 0.035
- Maize #F4D054 ΔE 0.044
- Macaroni And Cheese #EFB435 ΔE 0.047
- Sunglow #FFD166 ΔE 0.050
- Butterscotch #FDB147 ΔE 0.051
- Greenish Beige #C9D179 ΔE 0.051
- Golden #F5BF03 ΔE 0.052
More about Saffron
How to make Saffron
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 3 parts white
- 2 parts yellow
- 1 part purple
Recipe result: #E5C871, a difference of ΔE 0.010 from Saffron. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Saffron in every format
| HEX | #E9C46A |
| RGB | rgb(233, 196, 106) |
| HSL | hsl(43, 74%, 66%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(83.4% 0.117 87.4) |
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 #E9C46A | 1.67:1 | Fails | Lc -33.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #E9C46A | 12.56:1 | AAA | Lc 74.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #E9C46A text on white | 1.67:1 | Fails | Lc 29.4 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #E9C46A text on black | 12.56:1 | AAA | Lc -73.5 | Content text, not long reading |
Shades and tints of Saffron
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#FAF5EA
oklch(97.1% 0.015 86.4)
-
Step 100
100
#F3E9D1
oklch(93.6% 0.033 88.1)
-
Step 200
200
#EBD7A8
oklch(88.4% 0.065 87.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#E9C46A
oklch(83.4% 0.117 87.4)
-
Step 400
400
#C79900
oklch(70.6% 0.144 87)
-
Step 500
500
#AA8300
oklch(63% 0.129 87.5)
-
Step 600
600
#8F6E00
oklch(55.5% 0.114 87.7)
-
Step 700
700
#795C00
oklch(49.1% 0.1 87.1)
-
Step 800
800
#634B00
oklch(42.6% 0.087 87.5)
-
Step 900
900
#533E00
oklch(37.6% 0.077 86.9)
-
Step 950
950
#322400
oklch(27% 0.055 86.6)
Saffron 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) | #D6C262 | 0.031 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #DFCC6D | 0.023 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #FAB7AF | 0.105 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C8C8C8 | 0.117 |
Use Saffron 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.