#FDAE44Safflower (#FDAE44) is a light, saturated orange with an OKLCH hue of 70°, lightness 0.81 and chroma 0.149. 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 | #FDAE44 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(253, 174, 68) |
| HSL | hsl(34, 98%, 63%) |
| HSV | hsv(34, 73%, 99%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 31%, 73%, 1%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(77 19.9 63.4) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.809 0.149 70) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Safflower shifts subtly: leans toward red; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#ffa83a — ΔE 1.4, shifts subtly: leans toward red#ffae40 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchanged#fdae44 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#fdaf46 — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchangedTest Safflower 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 1.86:1 and against black 11.31:1, 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 · #fdae44 · #d99129 · #ac6d00 · #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.
#eee284 · #f6c960 · #fdae44 · #f09452 · #dd7d5f · #c56a68
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.
#fdae44 · #99a975 · #b27312 · #5a7000 · #684000 · #2a3600
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.
#f8e0c5 · #fdae44 · #3e95e8 · #7b5524 · #583808 · #341f03
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#fdae44 · #9ba6b1 · #7e7060 · #3e464e · #261908 · #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 · #fdae44
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#dbdfba · #fdae44 · #a1b681 · #6831f0 · #283c68 · #17051e
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#b9eaeb · #fdae44 · #83b1bd · #545bbe · #3d3752 · #210503
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#fdae44 · #84aeab · #008480 · #5d247e · #2c0043 · #000202
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#fdae44 · #8dad9b · #14885a · #00467e · #37002a · #000618
#FFBA64 · #FFC682 · #FFD29D · #FFDDB6 · #FFE8CE
#D38C27 · #AA6C00 · #7E4F00 · #563400 · #301A00
#F1B368 · #E5B883 · #D8BB9B
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.