#9E8500 Hex Color
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This unsaturated, mellow yellow-olive brings a grounded, natural warmth to designs. Because it sits on the darker side of the spectrum, it functions best as an accent or secondary color rather than a primary background. It pairs exceptionally well with deep charcoal or warm slate grays. The hex code for this earthy tone is #9e8500, which offers sufficient contrast for legible black text.
Questions about #9e8500
What is #9e8500 in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #9e8500 is rgb(158, 133, 0), in HSL hsl(51, 100%, 31%) and in CMYK 0%, 16%, 100%, 38%.
What colors pair best with #9e8500?
Deep neutrals like charcoal or warm slate grays create the strongest balance when paired with #9e8500. This yellow-olive acts as a grounding accent, so keep your primary palette muted to let its natural, organic warmth stand out without overwhelming the viewer.
Is #9e8500 suitable for UI text?
Using #9e8500 for large, bold headings is acceptable for style, but it is generally too unsaturated for body copy. To maintain accessibility and readability, always layer this shade against clean, high-contrast backgrounds like stark white or very light neutral grays.
Is #9e8500 readable on white or black?
#9e8500 has a 3.61:1 contrast ratio on white and 5.80:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works only for large text (24px, or 18.5px bold) and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.