Nearest-color comparison
Buttercup #F3C13A vs Saffron #F4C430: RGB distance 10.5 and contrast 1.02:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Buttercup and Saffron are very close, with an RGB distance of 10.5. Saffron is lighter by 0.0143, and Saffron is more saturated by 1 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Buttercup and Saffron across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
orange color
Buttercup is #F3C13A, a warm orange with hue 44°, saturation 89% and luminance 0.575. Beside Saffron, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 12.5:1.
yellow color
Saffron is #F4C430, a warm yellow with hue 45°, saturation 90% and luminance 0.5893. Beside Buttercup, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 12.79:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Buttercup and Saffron, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "buttercup",
"name": "Buttercup",
"hex": "#F3C13A",
"rgb": [
243,
193,
58
],
"hsl": [
44,
89,
59
],
"cmyk": [
0,
21,
76,
5
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.575,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.5,
"white": 1.68
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.5
},
"description": "Buttercup is #F3C13A, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Saffron, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for botanical palettes, natural product design, and seasonal editorial palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/buttercup/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/buttercup.json"
},
{
"slug": "saffron",
"name": "Saffron",
"hex": "#F4C430",
"rgb": [
244,
196,
48
],
"hsl": [
45,
90,
57
],
"cmyk": [
0,
20,
80,
4
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.5893,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.79,
"white": 1.64
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
},
"description": "Saffron is #F4C430, a warm yellow color with vibrant character. Compared with Buttercup, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for highlight colors, editorial accents, and warm backgrounds, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/saffron/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/saffron.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 10.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 1,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0143,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Saffron",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Saffron"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Buttercup",
"background": "#F3C13A",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.5
},
{
"color": "Saffron",
"background": "#F4C430",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Buttercup is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F3C13A.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Saffron is better when the design needs vibrant yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F4C430.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/buttercup-vs-saffron.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/buttercup.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/saffron.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "buttercup-vs-saffron",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Buttercup vs Saffron",
"verdict": "Buttercup and Saffron are very close colors. Saffron is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Buttercup and Saffron are different orange and yellow colors with HEX values #F3C13A and #F4C430. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 10.5, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 10.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "buttercup",
"name": "Buttercup",
"hex": "#F3C13A",
"rgb": [
243,
193,
58
],
"hsl": [
44,
89,
59
],
"cmyk": [
0,
21,
76,
5
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.575,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.5,
"white": 1.68
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.5
},
"description": "Buttercup is #F3C13A, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Saffron, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for botanical palettes, natural product design, and seasonal editorial palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/buttercup/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/buttercup.json"
},
{
"slug": "saffron",
"name": "Saffron",
"hex": "#F4C430",
"rgb": [
244,
196,
48
],
"hsl": [
45,
90,
57
],
"cmyk": [
0,
20,
80,
4
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.5893,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.79,
"white": 1.64
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
},
"description": "Saffron is #F4C430, a warm yellow color with vibrant character. Compared with Buttercup, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for highlight colors, editorial accents, and warm backgrounds, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/saffron/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/saffron.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 10.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 1,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0143,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Saffron",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Saffron"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Buttercup",
"background": "#F3C13A",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.5
},
{
"color": "Saffron",
"background": "#F4C430",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Buttercup is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F3C13A.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Saffron is better when the design needs vibrant yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F4C430.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/buttercup-vs-saffron.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/buttercup.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/saffron.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/buttercup-vs-saffron/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/buttercup-vs-saffron.json"
}