Color #ACAE09 Color / Colour Code #ACAE09
This page shows the hex color code for color #acae09 (#ACAE09). The colour is a yellow tone with 90% saturation and 36% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #ACAE09 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#ACAE09 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 31, 61, and 91 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 61, 181, and 301 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #ACAE09
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 61 and saturation at 90%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 61 to 106 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 61 with its complement at 241 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 #ACAE09
Lightness variations at hue 61 and 90% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #ACAE09
Design Use Cases for #ACAE09
High-Impact Accent
With 90% saturation, #ACAE09 is highly vivid. Reserve this for elements that need maximum attention: primary action buttons, notification badges, error states, or promotional banners. Use sparingly alongside neutral tones to avoid visual fatigue.
Primary Interface Color
At 36% lightness, #ACAE09 is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Attention & Optimism
#ACAE09 is in the yellow spectrum (hue 61). 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 #ACAE09 (hue 61) to its complement at hue 241. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 91. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #acae09, #0c09ae);
CSS Code for #ACAE09
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #ACAE09 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #ACAE09 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #ACAE09 (#ACAE09)
#ACAE09 is a yellow color (colour) with RGB channel values of 172 red, 174 green, and 9 blue. The green channel is dominant by a ratio of 19.3:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 61 degrees with 90% saturation and 36% lightness, placing it in the neutral-to-cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #ACAE09 is 155/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 1% cyan, 0% magenta, 95% yellow, and 32% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #ACAE09 against white is 2.38:1 and against black is 8.81:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.81:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #0C09AE creates maximum visual tension when paired with #ACAE09. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #AE5F09 and #59AE09, 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 #ACAE09
- 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 #ACAE09?
- #ACAE09 is Color #ACAE09, a yellow color (colour) with RGB(172, 174, 9), HSL(61, 90%, 36%), and CMYK(1%, 0%, 95%, 32%). Its perceived brightness is 155/255.
- Is #ACAE09 accessible for text?
- Against white, #ACAE09 has a contrast ratio of 2.38:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 8.81:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #ACAE09?
- The complementary colour is #0C09AE (hue 241). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #AE5F09 and #59AE09. The triadic palette adds #09ACAE and #AE09AC for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #ACAE09 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #acae09; or rgb(172, 174, 9); or hsl(61, 90%, 36%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 61 90% 36%; 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.