Color #CB500B Color / Colour Code #CB500B
This page shows the hex color code for color #cb500b (#CB500B). The colour is a orange tone with 90% saturation and 42% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #CB500B against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#CB500B paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 352, 22, and 52 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 22, 142, and 262 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #CB500B
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 22 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 22 to 67 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 22 with its complement at 202 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 #CB500B
Lightness variations at hue 22 and 90% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #CB500B
Design Use Cases for #CB500B
High-Impact Accent
With 90% saturation, #CB500B 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 42% lightness, #CB500B 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.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#CB500B sits in the orange range (hue 22). Orange combines the energy of red with the warmth of yellow. It works naturally for progress indicators, pricing highlights, "new" badges, and friendly call-to-action buttons. Food and fitness brands frequently use this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #CB500B (hue 22) to its complement at hue 202. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 52. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #cb500b, #0b85cb);
CSS Code for #CB500B
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #CB500B based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #CB500B across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #CB500B (#CB500B)
#CB500B is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 203 red, 80 green, and 11 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 18.5:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 22 degrees with 90% saturation and 42% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #CB500B is 109/255 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, 61% magenta, 95% yellow, and 20% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #CB500B against white is 4.48:1 and against black is 4.69:1. This only passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. For normal body text on white, darken the color or use it on a dark background where it achieves 4.69:1.
The complementary colour #0B85CB creates maximum visual tension when paired with #CB500B. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #CB0B24 and #CBB20B, 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 #CB500B
- 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 #CB500B?
- #CB500B is Color #CB500B, a orange color (colour) with RGB(203, 80, 11), HSL(22, 90%, 42%), and CMYK(0%, 61%, 95%, 20%). Its perceived brightness is 109/255.
- Is #CB500B accessible for text?
- Against white, #CB500B has a contrast ratio of 4.48:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.69:1 (passes AA). It passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #CB500B?
- The complementary colour is #0B85CB (hue 202). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #CB0B24 and #CBB20B. The triadic palette adds #0BCB51 and #510BCB for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #CB500B in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #cb500b; or rgb(203, 80, 11); or hsl(22, 90%, 42%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 22 90% 42%; 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.