Color #4E4E21 Color / Colour Code #4E4E21
This page shows the hex color code for color #4e4e21 (#4E4E21). The colour is a yellow tone with 41% saturation and 22% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #4E4E21 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#4E4E21 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 30, 60, and 90 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 60, 180, and 300 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #4E4E21
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 60 and saturation at 41%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 60 to 105 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 60 with its complement at 240 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #4E4E21
Lightness variations at hue 60 and 41% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #4E4E21
Design Use Cases for #4E4E21
Balanced UI Color
At 41% saturation, #4E4E21 strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Deep Accent & Text Color
#4E4E21 at 22% lightness is dark enough for readable body text on light backgrounds while retaining its yellow character. Use for headings, emphasized text, or deep accent borders. It provides contrast without the harshness of pure black.
Attention & Optimism
#4E4E21 is in the yellow spectrum (hue 60). Yellow attracts attention faster than any other color. Use it for warning labels, featured content markers, star ratings, and tooltip backgrounds. Pair with dark text since yellow often fails contrast checks against white.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #4E4E21 (hue 60) to its complement at hue 240. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 90. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #4e4e21, #21214f);
CSS Code for #4E4E21
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #4E4E21 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #4E4E21 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #4E4E21 (#4E4E21)
#4E4E21 is a yellow color (colour) with RGB channel values of 78 red, 78 green, and 33 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 2.4:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 60 degrees with 41% saturation and 22% lightness, placing it in the neutral-to-cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #4E4E21 is 73/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 0% magenta, 58% yellow, and 69% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #4E4E21 against white is 8.62:1 and against black is 2.44:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #21214F creates maximum visual tension when paired with #4E4E21. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #4F3821 and #384F21, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #4E4E21
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #4E4E21?
- #4E4E21 is Color #4E4E21, a yellow color (colour) with RGB(78, 78, 33), HSL(60, 41%, 22%), and CMYK(0%, 0%, 58%, 69%). Its perceived brightness is 73/255.
- Is #4E4E21 accessible for text?
- Against white, #4E4E21 has a contrast ratio of 8.62:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.44:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #4E4E21?
- The complementary colour is #21214F (hue 240). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #4F3821 and #384F21. The triadic palette adds #214F4F and #4F214F for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #4E4E21 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #4e4e21; or rgb(78, 78, 33); or hsl(60, 41%, 22%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 60 41% 22%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.