Green color · XKCD survey name
Pale Olive Color Code: #B9CC81
Pale Olive is a medium-light, soft yellow-green color with the hexadecimal value #B9CC81. In RGB it is 185, 204, 129 and in HSL it is 75°, 42%, 65%. Black text reads best on it (12.01:1 contrast).
Pale Olive color values
#B9CC81
rgb(185, 204, 129)
hsl(75, 42%, 65%)
75, 37%, 80%
hwb(75 51% 20%)
9%, 0%, 37%, 20%
12176513
CMYK is a standard screen-to-print conversion. Printed results depend on inks, paper and color profiles.
What is Pale Olive?
“Pale Olive” is a crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey, in which participants typed names for colors they were shown. It is a popular everyday label rather than an official standard.
Its hue angle of 75° places it in the yellow-green part of the color wheel, with 42% saturation (soft) and 65% lightness (medium-light). It sits between warm and cool.
Compared with the other green colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 77% of them and more saturated than 18% of them.
Its relative luminance is 0.551, which makes it a light color. That is above the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so black text has the advantage.
Pale Olive counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 65% and its relative luminance is 0.551. Black text reads best on it (12.01:1 contrast).
Text contrast on Pale Olive
| Text | Preview | Ratio | AA normal | AA large | AAA normal | AAA large |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text | Sample text | 1.74:1 Poor | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Black text | Sample text | 12.01:1 Excellent | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
Ratios use the WCAG 2 formula and are truncated, never rounded up. Test any pair with the contrast checker.
Colors that go with Pale Olive
Complementary color
Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart). They give the strongest hue contrast, which suits calls to action and accents.
Analogous colors
Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, 30° either side of the base hue. They blend smoothly and are easy to combine in backgrounds, gradients and illustrations.
Triadic colors
A triadic scheme uses three hues spaced 120° apart. It is lively yet balanced, and works best when one color leads and the other two act as accents.
Split-complementary colors
Split-complementary keeps the base color and uses the two colors on either side of its complement (150° and 210°). The contrast is strong but gentler than a direct complement.
Tetradic colors
A tetradic (rectangle) scheme combines two complementary pairs at 0°, 60°, 180° and 240°. It offers variety but needs one dominant color to stay balanced.
Monochromatic variants
Monochromatic variants keep the same hue and saturation and only change lightness, which makes them dependable for UI scales and subtle layered designs.
A “≈” before a name means the exact harmony color has no named match, so the link goes to the closest named color.
Tints and shades of Pale Olive
Lighter tints (mixed with white)
Darker shades (mixed with black)
Select any swatch to copy its HEX code. Build longer scales with the tints and shades tool.
Similar colors
Where to use Pale Olive
- Card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (12.01:1 contrast with black)
- Eco, health and finance-style branding
- Charts, maps and nature illustrations
- Calm backgrounds and section fills
- Success and confirmation states (with a label or icon)
Use Pale Olive in CSS
:root {
--color-pale-olive: #B9CC81;
}
.element {
color: var(--color-pale-olive);
background-color: #B9CC81;
border: 2px solid #B9CC81;
}Questions about Pale Olive
What is the HEX code for Pale Olive?
Pale Olive is #B9CC81.
What is the RGB value of Pale Olive?
The RGB value of Pale Olive is 185, 204, 129: 185 red, 204 green and 129 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(185, 204, 129) in CSS.
What is the HSL value of Pale Olive?
The HSL value of Pale Olive is 75°, 42%, 65% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(75, 42%, 65%) in CSS.
What is the CMYK value of Pale Olive?
A standard conversion gives about C 9%, M 0%, Y 37%, K 20%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.
Is Pale Olive a light or dark color?
Pale Olive counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 65% and its relative luminance is 0.551. Black text reads best on it (12.01:1 contrast).
How does Pale Olive look with white text?
White text on Pale Olive has a contrast ratio of 1.74:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.
How does Pale Olive look with black text?
Black text on Pale Olive has a contrast ratio of 12.01:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.
What colors go well with Pale Olive?
Wisteria is its complementary color, and Very Light Brown sits beside it as an analogous color. Lighter and darker variants of the same hue also work well for monochromatic palettes.
Where can Pale Olive be used?
It suits card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (12.01:1 contrast with black); eco, health and finance-style branding; charts, maps and nature illustrations.
How do I use Pale Olive in CSS?
Use color: #B9CC81; for text, background-color: #B9CC81; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-pale-olive: #B9CC81; and reuse it with var(--color-pale-olive).
About this color page
Crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey (CC0). Values are calculated from the HEX code; color names are labels, not trademarks or standards unless stated. Screens render colors differently, so always check important colors on your own device. See the disclaimer.