#EE9A09Cheddar (#EE9A09) is a light, saturated orange with an OKLCH hue of 70°, lightness 0.75 and chroma 0.161. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as an accent color: strong in focal moments, dominant over large fields.
| HEX | #EE9A09 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(238, 154, 9) |
| HSL | hsl(38, 93%, 48%) |
| HSV | hsv(38, 96%, 93%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 35%, 96%, 7%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(70.4 22.6 73.9) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.753 0.161 70) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Cheddar shifts subtly: leans toward red; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.2), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#f19500 — ΔE 1.2, shifts subtly: leans toward red#f39a00 — ΔE 0.8, is virtually unchanged#ee9a09 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#ef9b0d — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Cheddar 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 2.27:1 and against black 9.26:1, 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.
#ffefdd · #ffba63 · #ee9a09 · #ab6d00 · #7c4d00 · #503000
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.
#e5d971 · #eabb42 · #ee9a09 · #e27f33 · #cf6948 · #b75655
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.
#ee9a09 · #879860 · #9e6400 · #4b5f00 · #543300 · #1d2700
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.
#e7cdb0 · #ee9a09 · #2e90ea · #8d632d · #694513 · #432c0c
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e8f3ff · #ee9a09 · #a0907e · #515a62 · #30210e · #000104
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.
#eaf3fc · #c1cbd6 · #949fab · #1a2736 · #000613 · #ee9a09
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d4d8b3 · #ee9a09 · #c88974 · #6933f0 · #273651 · #18051e
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e4c7e3 · #ee9a09 · #7774c9 · #426c7e · #3f3249 · #230803
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#cefdf9 · #ee9a09 · #00a9a3 · #74369a · #380053 · #000202
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#d7fde7 · #ee9a09 · #36ab78 · #005a9f · #450035 · #000618
#F3A946 · #F8B868 · #FDC685 · #FFD5A5 · #FFE4C6
#C47D00 · #9B6200 · #744800 · #4F2F00 · #2D1800
#E1A04B · #D5A56C · #C7A987
Its chroma is high enough to carry accents, calls to action, and focal moments; large fields of it will dominate a composition. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.