Nearest-color comparison
Goldenrod #DAA520 vs Mustard Yellow #E1AD01: RGB distance 32.8 and contrast 1.08:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Goldenrod and Mustard Yellow are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 32.8. Mustard Yellow is lighter by 0.0398, and Mustard Yellow is more saturated by 25 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.08:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Goldenrod and Mustard Yellow across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
orange color
Goldenrod is #DAA520, a warm orange with hue 43°, saturation 74% and luminance 0.4192. Beside Mustard Yellow, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 9.38:1.
yellow color
Mustard Yellow is #E1AD01, a warm yellow with hue 46°, saturation 99% and luminance 0.459. Beside Goldenrod, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 10.18:1.
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 Goldenrod and Mustard Yellow, 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": "goldenrod",
"name": "Goldenrod",
"hex": "#DAA520",
"rgb": [
218,
165,
32
],
"hsl": [
43,
74,
49
],
"cmyk": [
0,
24,
85,
15
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4192,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.38,
"white": 2.24
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
"description": "Goldenrod is #DAA520, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Mustard Yellow, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/goldenrod/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json"
},
{
"slug": "mustard-yellow",
"name": "Mustard Yellow",
"hex": "#E1AD01",
"rgb": [
225,
173,
1
],
"hsl": [
46,
99,
44
],
"cmyk": [
0,
23,
100,
12
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.459,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.18,
"white": 2.06
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.18
},
"description": "Mustard Yellow is #E1AD01, a warm yellow color with vibrant character. Compared with Goldenrod, 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/mustard-yellow/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mustard-yellow.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 32.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 3,
"saturation": 25,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0398,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Mustard Yellow",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Mustard Yellow"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.08,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Goldenrod",
"background": "#DAA520",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
{
"color": "Mustard Yellow",
"background": "#E1AD01",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.18
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Goldenrod is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DAA520.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Mustard Yellow is better when the design needs vibrant yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #E1AD01.",
"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/goldenrod-vs-mustard-yellow.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mustard-yellow.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "goldenrod-vs-mustard-yellow",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Goldenrod vs Mustard Yellow",
"verdict": "Goldenrod and Mustard Yellow are visually related colors. Mustard Yellow is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.08:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Goldenrod and Mustard Yellow are different orange and yellow colors with HEX values #DAA520 and #E1AD01. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 32.8, their contrast ratio is 1.08:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 32.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "goldenrod",
"name": "Goldenrod",
"hex": "#DAA520",
"rgb": [
218,
165,
32
],
"hsl": [
43,
74,
49
],
"cmyk": [
0,
24,
85,
15
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4192,
"contrast": {
"black": 9.38,
"white": 2.24
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
"description": "Goldenrod is #DAA520, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Mustard Yellow, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/goldenrod/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json"
},
{
"slug": "mustard-yellow",
"name": "Mustard Yellow",
"hex": "#E1AD01",
"rgb": [
225,
173,
1
],
"hsl": [
46,
99,
44
],
"cmyk": [
0,
23,
100,
12
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.459,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.18,
"white": 2.06
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.18
},
"description": "Mustard Yellow is #E1AD01, a warm yellow color with vibrant character. Compared with Goldenrod, 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/mustard-yellow/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mustard-yellow.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 32.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 3,
"saturation": 25,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0398,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Mustard Yellow",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Mustard Yellow"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.08,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Goldenrod",
"background": "#DAA520",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9.38
},
{
"color": "Mustard Yellow",
"background": "#E1AD01",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.18
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Goldenrod is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DAA520.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Mustard Yellow is better when the design needs vibrant yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #E1AD01.",
"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/goldenrod-vs-mustard-yellow.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/goldenrod.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mustard-yellow.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/goldenrod-vs-mustard-yellow/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/goldenrod-vs-mustard-yellow.json"
}