Nearest-color comparison
Pastel Yellow #FDFD96 vs Khaki #F0E68C: RGB distance 28.2 and contrast 1.2:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Pastel Yellow and Khaki are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 28.2. Pastel Yellow is lighter by 0.1633, and Pastel Yellow is more saturated by 19 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.2:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Pastel Yellow and Khaki across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
yellow color
Pastel Yellow is #FDFD96, a warm yellow with hue 60°, saturation 96% and luminance 0.9334. Beside Khaki, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 19.67:1.
yellow color
Khaki is #F0E68C, a warm yellow with hue 54°, saturation 77% and luminance 0.7701. Beside Pastel Yellow, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 16.4:1.
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 Pastel Yellow and Khaki, 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": "pastel-yellow",
"name": "Pastel Yellow",
"hex": "#FDFD96",
"rgb": [
253,
253,
150
],
"hsl": [
60,
96,
79
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
41,
1
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.9334,
"contrast": {
"black": 19.67,
"white": 1.07
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 19.67
},
"description": "Pastel Yellow is #FDFD96, a warm yellow color with pastel character. Compared with Khaki, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for soft ui backgrounds, pastel palettes, and gentle product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/pastel-yellow/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pastel-yellow.json"
},
{
"slug": "khaki",
"name": "Khaki",
"hex": "#F0E68C",
"rgb": [
240,
230,
140
],
"hsl": [
54,
77,
75
],
"cmyk": [
0,
4,
42,
6
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.7701,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.4,
"white": 1.28
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.4
},
"description": "Khaki is #F0E68C, a warm yellow color with pastel character. Compared with Pastel 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/khaki/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/khaki.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 28.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.2,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 6,
"saturation": 19,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.1633,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"pastel"
],
"lighterColor": "Pastel Yellow",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pastel Yellow"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.2,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Pastel Yellow",
"background": "#FDFD96",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 19.67
},
{
"color": "Khaki",
"background": "#F0E68C",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.4
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pastel Yellow is better when the design needs pastel yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FDFD96.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Khaki is better when the design needs pastel yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F0E68C.",
"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/pastel-yellow-vs-khaki.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pastel-yellow.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/khaki.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "pastel-yellow-vs-khaki",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Pastel Yellow vs Khaki",
"verdict": "Pastel Yellow and Khaki are visually related colors. Pastel Yellow is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.2:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Pastel Yellow and Khaki are different yellow colors with HEX values #FDFD96 and #F0E68C. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 28.2, their contrast ratio is 1.2:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 28.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.2,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "pastel-yellow",
"name": "Pastel Yellow",
"hex": "#FDFD96",
"rgb": [
253,
253,
150
],
"hsl": [
60,
96,
79
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
41,
1
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.9334,
"contrast": {
"black": 19.67,
"white": 1.07
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 19.67
},
"description": "Pastel Yellow is #FDFD96, a warm yellow color with pastel character. Compared with Khaki, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for soft ui backgrounds, pastel palettes, and gentle product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/pastel-yellow/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pastel-yellow.json"
},
{
"slug": "khaki",
"name": "Khaki",
"hex": "#F0E68C",
"rgb": [
240,
230,
140
],
"hsl": [
54,
77,
75
],
"cmyk": [
0,
4,
42,
6
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"pastel"
],
"luminance": 0.7701,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.4,
"white": 1.28
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.4
},
"description": "Khaki is #F0E68C, a warm yellow color with pastel character. Compared with Pastel 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/khaki/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/khaki.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 28.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.2,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 6,
"saturation": 19,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.1633,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"pastel"
],
"lighterColor": "Pastel Yellow",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pastel Yellow"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.2,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Pastel Yellow",
"background": "#FDFD96",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 19.67
},
{
"color": "Khaki",
"background": "#F0E68C",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.4
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pastel Yellow is better when the design needs pastel yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FDFD96.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Khaki is better when the design needs pastel yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F0E68C.",
"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/pastel-yellow-vs-khaki.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pastel-yellow.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/khaki.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/pastel-yellow-vs-khaki/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/pastel-yellow-vs-khaki.json"
}