RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western cultures, Buttercup symbolizes joy and happiness, often associated with childhood and carefree days in nature. Conversely, in some Asian cultures, bright yellows can denote caution or warning, creating a contrast between celebration and alertness.
The term 'buttercup' dates back to the 14th century, derived from the Old English 'buttercuppe', as the flowers were thought to have been used to color butter. The vivid hue became popular in art during the 18th century, with artists like Vincent van Gogh celebrating its brightness in their work.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Buttercup. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 29 Yellows →Nine steps of Buttercup by lightness — from #7E5A0B (darkest) to #F9D486 (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Buttercup at 221° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Buttercup.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Buttercup anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on dark backgrounds; fails on light.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: #F3AD16; color-mix(in srgb, #F3AD16 70%, white) 41°, 91%, 95% 0, 29, 91, 5 15969558 #FF9900 How Buttercup appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.