What color is #ECD99C?

#ECD99C is a light, soft amber. In RGB it is rgb(236, 217, 156), and in HSL hsl(46, 68%, 77%).

Is #ECD99C accessible as text?

On white, #ECD99C has a contrast ratio of 1.40:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 14.97:1 (passes). For text placed on #ECD99C, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #ECD99C?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is orange-200 (#FFD6A7).

What colors go well with #ECD99C?

#ECD99C pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #9CAFEC. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #ECD99C below.

Is #ECD99C good for buttons?

#ECD99C works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #ECD99C — white text only reaches 1.40:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #ECD99C the same as CSS wheat?

No — #ECD99C is not the CSS named color wheat, but wheat (#F5DEB3) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#ECD99C Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #ECD99C

Not just a swatch — here's how #ECD99C works with other colors. Named schemes with #ECD99C in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #ECD99C Secondary #B26810 Accent #6F7A47 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3A2A1F

This palette keeps Wheat as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #ECD99C Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B9AF9F Ink #2B2723

Wheat sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Desert Clay Center · 5 colors

Center #ECD99C Surface #E0CFA8 Secondary #AE7C52 Accent #919970 Anchor #3D2C1F

Wheat holds the warm center of this desert palette with sand and clay beside it, a muted-sage accent and a dark-brown anchor.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #ECD99C Accent #AAC4B7 Surface #E4D8BE Secondary #9AA09F Anchor #163747

Wheat opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #ECD99C Secondary #FFFAE5 Support #9A9186 Ink #17140F

Wheat is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Wheat carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #ECD99C actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 68/100

Warm

Reads warm and advancing — inviting, energetic, draws the eye forward.

Softness 75/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 11/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 95/100

Very high

Organic, earthy character — at home in wellness, food and craft brands.

Vintage feel 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 17/100

Very low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 31/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 10/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 65/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 88/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #ECD99C

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #ECD99C with

Rose Quartz Tea Green Maya Blue Greige Army Green

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 13.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F9F6EE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #E4EC9C — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #ECD99C at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #ECD99C;
  --color-base-rgb: 236 217 156;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(88.7% 0.081 92.8);
  --color-50: #FDFAF2;
  --color-100: #F9F2DC;
  --color-200: #F2E5BB;
  --color-300: #E3CF8C;
  --color-400: #D1B761;
  --color-500: #B69A3F;
  --color-600: #8B7737;
  --color-700: #63562C;
  --color-800: #413920;
  --color-900: #282415;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  wheat: {
    50: '#FDFAF2',
    100: '#F9F2DC',
    200: '#F2E5BB',
    300: '#E3CF8C',
    400: '#D1B761',
    500: '#B69A3F',
    600: '#8B7737',
    700: '#63562C',
    800: '#413920',
    900: '#282415',
  },
}

$base: #ECD99C;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #FDFAF2;
$base-100: #F9F2DC;
$base-200: #F2E5BB;
$base-300: #E3CF8C;
$base-400: #D1B761;
$base-500: #B69A3F;
$base-600: #8B7737;
$base-700: #63562C;
$base-800: #413920;
$base-900: #282415;
$base-hover: #E0C15A;
$base-subtle: #F6F2E4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#ECD99C",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FDFAF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F9F2DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F2E5BB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#E3CF8C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#D1B761",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#B69A3F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#8B7737",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#63562C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#413920",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#282415",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #ECD99C

Color Lab

Pairs with #ECD99C

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export