#FCD917Candlelight (#FCD917) is a very light, saturated yellow with an OKLCH hue of 97°, lightness 0.89 and chroma 0.18. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #FCD917 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(252, 217, 23) |
| HSL | hsl(51, 97%, 54%) |
| HSV | hsv(51, 91%, 99%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 14%, 91%, 1%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(87.2 -4 84.9) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.888 0.180 97) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Candlelight shifts subtly: leans toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#ffd300 — ΔE 1.4, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#ffd903 — ΔE 0.5, is virtually unchanged#fcd917 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#fcda1c — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchangedTest Candlelight in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 1.39:1 and against black 15.08:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#fff3bc · #fcd917 · #bca100 · #917c00 · #685800 · #423700
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#fcd917 · #ffb900 · #fa9a21 · #ed7f3d · #da6850 · #c2545e
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#fcd917 · #91cb9b · #b49a00 · #00963f · #705f00 · #105225
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#fcd917 · #c0b890 · #a69549 · #4a4ac0 · #423700 · #231c00
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#fcd917 · #b9bcce · #8a856c · #4d4f5b · #262005 · #010106
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#eff1fd · #c6c8d6 · #989bab · #1f2233 · #020310 · #fcd917
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#fcd917 · #b4bbe0 · #7079d9 · #3d3aaf · #180066 · #080400
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e1f6ff · #fcd917 · #abc6e5 · #79479e · #334366 · #180c03
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#fcd917 · #96c6d4 · #0094af · #870d72 · #3d0033 · #000407
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#fcd917 · #96c9c3 · #00998f · #3d3aaf · #430018 · #010011
#FCDE51 · #FDE371 · #FDE88C · #FDEDA4 · #FEF2BA
#CEB100 · #A18A00 · #776500 · #4F4300 · #2B2300
#F5DA62 · #EDDB8A · #E6DBAA
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.