Color #CE9F40 Color / Colour Code #CE9F40
This page shows the hex color code for color #ce9f40 (#CE9F40). The colour is a orange tone with 59% saturation and 53% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #CE9F40 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#CE9F40 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 10, 40, and 70 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 40, 160, and 280 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #CE9F40
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 40 and saturation at 59%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 40 to 85 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 40 with its complement at 220 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 #CE9F40
Lightness variations at hue 40 and 59% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #CE9F40
Design Use Cases for #CE9F40
Balanced UI Color
At 59% saturation, #CE9F40 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.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 53% lightness, #CE9F40 has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#CE9F40 sits in the orange range (hue 40). 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 #CE9F40 (hue 40) to its complement at hue 220. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 70. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ce9f40, #4070ce);
CSS Code for #CE9F40
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #CE9F40 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #CE9F40 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #CE9F40 (#CE9F40)
#CE9F40 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 206 red, 159 green, and 64 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.2:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 40 degrees with 59% saturation and 53% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #CE9F40 is 162/255 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 0% cyan, 23% magenta, 69% yellow, and 19% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #CE9F40 against white is 2.43:1 and against black is 8.66:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.66:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #4070CE creates maximum visual tension when paired with #CE9F40. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #CE5840 and #B6CE40, 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 #CE9F40
- 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 #CE9F40?
- #CE9F40 is Color #CE9F40, a orange color (colour) with RGB(206, 159, 64), HSL(40, 59%, 53%), and CMYK(0%, 23%, 69%, 19%). Its perceived brightness is 162/255.
- Is #CE9F40 accessible for text?
- Against white, #CE9F40 has a contrast ratio of 2.43:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 8.66:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #CE9F40?
- The complementary colour is #4070CE (hue 220). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #CE5840 and #B6CE40. The triadic palette adds #40CE9F and #9F40CE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #CE9F40 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #ce9f40; or rgb(206, 159, 64); or hsl(40, 59%, 53%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 40 59% 53%; 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.