Butterscotch Color
Butterscotch is a orange color with hex code #FDB147. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with butterscotch, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Butterscotch Color Values
What Does Butterscotch Mean?
Butterscotch belongs to the orange family of colors. Orange splits the difference between red's urgency and yellow's cheer. Food brands live here because warm oranges read as appetizing, and autumn design would be lost without them. As a rule of thumb, orange feels friendlier than red and louder than yellow. Butterscotch sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Butterscotch is classified as a orange (nearest centroid: brilliant orange yellow, #FFC14F).
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Butterscotch
Butterscotch and #4994FD are complements, parked opposite each other on the wheel. Together they hit maximum contrast, so a rough 70/30 split keeps the pairing from shouting.
Analogous neighbors — #FD5849 and #EEFD49, which sit beside butterscotch on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair butterscotch with triadic partners #49FDB2 and #B249FD. All three sit evenly spaced around the wheel, so the scheme stays lively without clashing.
Build and test these combinations in our Color Wheel Tool or check text readability with the Contrast Checker.
Tints and Shades
Tints (lighter)
Shades (darker)
Similar Colors
- Yellow Orange —
#FFAE42(Delta E 3) - Light Orange —
#FDAA48(Delta E 5) - Texas Rose —
#FFB555(Delta E 5) - Casablanca —
#F8B853(Delta E 7) - Neon Carrot —
#FFA343(Delta E 9)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #FDB147; }
.background { background-color: #FDB147; }
.border { border: 2px solid #FDB147; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #FDB14740; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for butterscotch?
Butterscotch has the hex code #FDB147. In RGB notation it is rgb(253, 177, 71), in HSL it is hsl(35, 98%, 64%), and its OKLCH value is 0.815, 0.147, 71.6.
What does the color butterscotch mean?
Orange-family colors like butterscotch carry distinct psychological associations. Butterscotch belongs to the orange family of colors. Orange splits the difference between red's urgency and yellow's cheer. Food brands live here because warm oranges read as appetizing, and autumn design would be lost without them. As a rule of thumb, orange feels friendlier than red and louder than yellow. Butterscotch sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with butterscotch?
Butterscotch has three easy routes: its complement #4994FD for punch, its neighbors #FD5849 and #EEFD49 for something calmer, or triadic partners #49FDB2 and #B249FD when you want energy.
Is butterscotch a standard web color?
No — Butterscotch is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #FDB147 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make butterscotch lighter or darker?
To lighten butterscotch, add white to create tints; to darken it, add black to create shades. The tints and shades table above shows five computed steps of each, from #FFF2E1 (lightest tint) to #382101 (darkest shade).
About Butterscotch
Butterscotch is classified as a Orange in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Orange hue family. It has The color is recognized by XKCD, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #FDB147 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.