Color #FFAE86 Color / Colour Code #FFAE86
This page shows the hex color code for color #ffae86 (#FFAE86). The colour is a orange tone with 100% saturation and 76% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #FFAE86 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#FFAE86 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 350, 20, and 50 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 20, 140, and 260 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #FFAE86
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 20 and saturation at 100%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 20 to 65 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 20 with its complement at 200 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 #FFAE86
Lightness variations at hue 20 and 100% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #FFAE86
Design Use Cases for #FFAE86
High-Impact Accent
With 100% saturation, #FFAE86 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.
Light Background Tint
#FFAE86 at 76% lightness creates a gentle tinted background. Use it for section backgrounds, alert banners, or card surfaces that need to stand out from a white page without strong contrast. It adds color personality while keeping the design light and open.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#FFAE86 sits in the orange range (hue 20). 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 #FFAE86 (hue 20) to its complement at hue 200. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 50. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ffae86, #85d6ff);
CSS Code for #FFAE86
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #FFAE86 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #FFAE86 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #FFAE86 (#FFAE86)
#FFAE86 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 255 red, 174 green, and 134 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 20 degrees with 100% saturation and 76% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #FFAE86 is 194/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This means it appears bright to the human eye and is best paired with dark text for readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 32% magenta, 47% yellow, and 0% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #FFAE86 against white is 1.80:1 and against black is 11.65:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 11.65:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #85D6FF creates maximum visual tension when paired with #FFAE86. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #FF8599 and #FFEB85, 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 #FFAE86
- 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 #FFAE86?
- #FFAE86 is Color #FFAE86, a orange color (colour) with RGB(255, 174, 134), HSL(20, 100%, 76%), and CMYK(0%, 32%, 47%, 0%). Its perceived brightness is 194/255.
- Is #FFAE86 accessible for text?
- Against white, #FFAE86 has a contrast ratio of 1.80:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 11.65:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #FFAE86?
- The complementary colour is #85D6FF (hue 200). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #FF8599 and #FFEB85. The triadic palette adds #85FFAD and #AD85FF for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #FFAE86 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #ffae86; or rgb(255, 174, 134); or hsl(20, 100%, 76%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 20 100% 76%; 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.