Canary Color
Canary is a yellow color with hex code #FFFF99. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with canary, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Canary Color Values
What Does Canary Mean?
Canary belongs to the yellow family of colors. Yellow is the brightest thing in daylight, which makes it impossible to ignore and easy to overdo. School buses and hazard tape exist to exploit that visibility. In artwork, small amounts of yellow energize a piece; large fields of it tire the eye surprisingly fast. As a lighter shade, Canary reads as airy and understated, comfortable working in backgrounds and across big surfaces.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Canary is classified as a yellow (nearest centroid: light greenish yellow, #EAE679). It is also known as Sunburst Yellow.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Canary
Canary and #9999FF 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 — #FFCC99 and #CCFF99, which sit beside canary on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair canary with triadic partners #99FFFF and #FF99FF. 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
- Witch Haze —
#FFFC99(Delta E 2) - Texas —
#F8F99C(Delta E 5) - Milan —
#FAFFA4(Delta E 6) - Dolly —
#F9FF8B(Delta E 7) - Jonquil —
#EEFF9A(Delta E 7)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #FFFF99; }
.background { background-color: #FFFF99; }
.border { border: 2px solid #FFFF99; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #FFFF9940; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for canary?
Canary has the hex code #FFFF99. In RGB notation it is rgb(255, 255, 153), in HSL it is hsl(60, 100%, 80%), and its OKLCH value is 0.978, 0.124, 108.5.
What does the color canary mean?
Yellow-family colors like canary carry distinct psychological associations. Canary belongs to the yellow family of colors. Yellow is the brightest thing in daylight, which makes it impossible to ignore and easy to overdo. School buses and hazard tape exist to exploit that visibility. In artwork, small amounts of yellow energize a piece; large fields of it tire the eye surprisingly fast. As a lighter shade, Canary reads as airy and understated, comfortable working in backgrounds and across big surfaces.
What colors go with canary?
Canary has three easy routes: its complement #9999FF for punch, its neighbors #FFCC99 and #CCFF99 for something calmer, or triadic partners #99FFFF and #FF99FF when you want energy.
Is canary a standard web color?
No — Canary is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #FFFF99 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make canary lighter or darker?
To lighten canary, 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 #FFFFF0 (lightest tint) to #424200 (darkest shade).
About Canary
Canary is classified as a Yellow in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Yellow hue family. It has alternative names including Sunburst Yellow. The color is recognized by Crayola, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #FFFF99 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.