#DDBB33Wax (#DDBB33) is a light, saturated yellow with an OKLCH hue of 94°, lightness 0.8 and chroma 0.149. 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 | #DDBB33 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(221, 187, 51) |
| HSL | hsl(48, 71%, 53%) |
| HSV | hsv(48, 77%, 87%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 15%, 77%, 13%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(76.8 -1.2 68.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.799 0.149 94) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Wax shifts subtly: leans toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.5), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#e2b527 — ΔE 1.5, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#e3bb2d — ΔE 0.9, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#ddbb33 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#ddbc35 — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchangedTest Wax 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 1.87:1 and against black 11.23:1, 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.
#fff2c4 · #ddbb33 · #bf9f14 · #947a00 · #6b5700 · #443700
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.
#ccee98 · #d3d668 · #ddbb33 · #da9e30 · #cf843a · #bf6e46
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.
#ddbb33 · #80ab83 · #987e00 · #077826 · #564600 · #083811
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.
#ebe1c0 · #ddbb33 · #ac9b5e · #4550ae · #4a3c00 · #2a2100
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#ddbb33 · #9da1af · #76715d · #41434d · #211b06 · #010105
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.
#eef1fd · #c5c8d6 · #989cab · #1e2234 · #020310 · #ddbb33
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#ccdebc · #ddbb33 · #86b37c · #5533f0 · #2d3c68 · #1a0621
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#b6e6e1 · #ddbb33 · #b995d9 · #4e6782 · #333957 · #0b1003
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ddbb33 · #82a9b3 · #007f93 · #6f1663 · #34002e · #000407
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#ddbb33 · #82aba4 · #008377 · #2f3591 · #3a0016 · #010011
#E2C558 · #E8CF75 · #EDD98F · #F3E2A7 · #F9ECBF
#B7980F · #907700 · #6B5800 · #483A00 · #281F00
#D6BC5E · #CFBD7D · #C9BE96
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.