Color #CEA609 Color / Colour Code #CEA609
This page shows the hex color code for color #cea609 (#CEA609). The colour is a yellow tone with 92% saturation and 42% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #CEA609 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#CEA609 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 18, 48, and 78 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 48, 168, and 288 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #CEA609
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 48 and saturation at 92%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 48 to 93 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 48 with its complement at 228 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 #CEA609
Lightness variations at hue 48 and 92% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #CEA609
Design Use Cases for #CEA609
High-Impact Accent
With 92% saturation, #CEA609 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, #CEA609 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
#CEA609 is in the yellow spectrum (hue 48). 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 #CEA609 (hue 48) to its complement at hue 228. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 78. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #cea609, #0930ce);
CSS Code for #CEA609
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #CEA609 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #CEA609 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #CEA609 (#CEA609)
#CEA609 is a yellow color (colour) with RGB channel values of 206 red, 166 green, and 9 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 22.9:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 48 degrees with 92% saturation and 42% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #CEA609 is 160/255 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, 19% magenta, 96% yellow, and 19% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #CEA609 against white is 2.31:1 and against black is 9.08:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 9.08:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #0930CE creates maximum visual tension when paired with #CEA609. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #CE4409 and #93CE09, 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 #CEA609
- 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 #CEA609?
- #CEA609 is Color #CEA609, a yellow color (colour) with RGB(206, 166, 9), HSL(48, 92%, 42%), and CMYK(0%, 19%, 96%, 19%). Its perceived brightness is 160/255.
- Is #CEA609 accessible for text?
- Against white, #CEA609 has a contrast ratio of 2.31:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 9.08:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #CEA609?
- The complementary colour is #0930CE (hue 228). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #CE4409 and #93CE09. The triadic palette adds #09CEA6 and #A609CE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #CEA609 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #cea609; or rgb(206, 166, 9); or hsl(48, 92%, 42%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 48 92% 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.