Conversions, palettes, contrast & design ideas for this color.
Color profile
#CA9E11 is a warm color from the Amber family, closest in name to “Mustard Seed”. In RGB it is rgb(202, 158, 17); in HSL, hsl(46, 84%, 43%).
The color Mustard Seed, with hexadecimal code #ca9e11, sits in the orange color family, typically linked to enthusiasm, creativity, and warmth. Orange hues stimulate appetite and social interaction, which is why food brands and community platforms favor them. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Happiness, Optimism, Positivity, Intellect and Energy. Orange is associated with spirituality and courage in some cultures, such as in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Western cultures, it often represents autumn, harvest, and creativity. With a high saturation of 84%, this color is intensely vivid—demanding attention and ideal for focal elements like buttons, banners, and brand marks. With a mid-range lightness of 43%, it offers excellent versatility—readable as text on light backgrounds and visible as an element on dark ones. This color is ideal for designs that aim to express Happiness, Optimism, Positivity, Intellect, or Energy. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.
Key facts
The story of this color
Mustard Seed (#CA9E11) belongs to the Amber color family.
This vivid mid-tone strikes the ideal balance between intensity and readability, making it a strong candidate for primary brand colors, interactive UI elements, and logo design where immediate recognition is essential.
Amber—the fossilized tree resin—has been prized since the Neolithic period, with Baltic amber trade routes spanning from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. The warm golden-yellow color named after this material became synonymous with preserved antiquity. In traffic engineering, amber signals 'caution'—a universal standard since the first traffic light was installed in London in 1868.
Amber tones bridge yellow and orange, lending warmth without the intensity of either extreme. They work beautifully in autumn-themed campaigns, artisanal food branding, and vintage-inspired designs. Pair amber with dark brown or forest green for an earthy, organic palette, or with ivory for a refined, warm-neutral scheme.
Positioned on the warm side of the color wheel (hue 46°), it naturally draws the eye and creates a sense of closeness—making it effective for calls to action, food photography, and hospitality branding. At 84% saturation, this is a highly vivid color that demands attention. Use it where maximum visual impact is needed—feature banners, accent buttons, and data-visualization highlights.
Amber evokes warmth, nostalgia, and comfort—like candlelight or afternoon sunlight. It feels inviting and reassuring, making it excellent for hospitality, craft beverage, and home-goods branding. Amber also carries a gentle sense of caution inherited from traffic signals.
With a mid-range lightness of 43%, this tone is highly versatile: dark enough to serve as body text on white, yet light enough to stand out on charcoal or navy backgrounds.
Use amber gradients as warm overlays on hero photography for a golden-hour effect. Combine amber typography on dark backgrounds for a premium whiskey or craft-beer aesthetic. In UI design, amber status indicators effectively communicate 'pending' or 'in-progress' states.
Every format
Every way to write Mustard Seed — one-tap copy on every format; tap on any card to learn what it is and when to use it.
#CA9E11
Hexadecimal is the web’s universal color notation — two digits each for red, green and blue. Drop it straight into HTML, CSS or any design tool.
rgb(202, 158, 17)
RGB is the additive Red-Green-Blue model every screen uses to emit light. The default choice for websites, apps and on-screen UI.
hsl(46, 84%, 43%)
HSL breaks a color into Hue, Saturation and Lightness — the most intuitive way to lighten, darken or mute a color in CSS.
hsv(46, 92%, 79%)
HSV (also called HSB) maps Hue, Saturation and Value/Brightness. It is the model behind the color pickers in Photoshop, Figma and most design apps.
hwb(46 7% 21%)
HWB blends a pure hue with Whiteness and Blackness — a painter-friendly model added in CSS Color 4 for quick tints and shades.
cmyk(0%, 22%, 92%, 21%)
CMYK is the subtractive Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black ink model. Use these values when preparing artwork for a printer or commercial press.
oklch(72.01% 0.144 88.06)
OKLCH is a modern, perceptually-uniform space (Lightness, Chroma, Hue). It powers smooth gradients and accessible palettes in today’s CSS.
oklab(72.01% 0.005 0.144)
OKLab is the Cartesian form of OKLCH — ideal for blending and interpolating colors without the muddy midpoints older spaces produce.
L: 67.32, a: 4.93, b: 68.62
CIELAB is a device-independent, perceptually-uniform space. It is the standard for measuring color difference (ΔE) and matching across devices.
L: 67.32, C: 68.80, H: 85.89
LCH is CIELAB in cylindrical form — Lightness, Chroma and Hue — letting you adjust vividness and hue while staying perceptually even.
X: 36.69, Y: 37.05, Z: 5.75
CIE XYZ is the 1931 master space that underpins every other model here — the scientific bridge used to convert between color systems.
13278737
The 24-bit integer value of the color — handy for databases, APIs, game engines and low-level graphics code.
Channel breakdown
How much red, green and blue light mixes into Mustard Seed.
Percentages show each channel's share of the total light (R + G + B) in Mustard Seed.
Ink coverage
Ink needed to reproduce Mustard Seed in four-color print. Heaviest ink: Yellow.
Print tip: treat these values as a starting point — final output depends on printer profile, paper stock and calibration.
Accessibility · WCAG
How bright Mustard Seed is, and how far black and white text clear each WCAG bar.
Contrast ratio · 1:1 → 21:1 (log scale)
Developer shortcuts
Copy-and-paste CSS for Mustard Seed — per-line copy, or grab the whole block.
background-color: #CA9E11;
color: #CA9E11;
border: 2px solid #CA9E11;
background-color: rgb(202, 158, 17);
background-color: hsl(46, 84%, 43%);
--color: #CA9E11;
Shades · light to dark
Lighter and darker steps of Mustard Seed — the color's full brightness range in one strip.
The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.
Harmony · 180° apart
Two colors opposite on the wheel — maximum contrast for attention-grabbing accents.
The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.
Harmony · adjacent hues
Neighboring hues on the wheel — harmonious, calm combinations that feel unified.
The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.
Harmony · 120° apart
Three colors evenly spaced on the wheel — vibrant and energetic, yet balanced.
The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.
Harmony · 90° apart
Four colors evenly spaced on the wheel (tetradic) — rich schemes with multiple accents.
The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.
Accessibility
How Mustard Seed reads across five kinds of color vision — a ✓ Friendly verdict means the color difference stays distinguishable for that vision type.
The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex.
Harmony overview
The lead color from each harmony scheme, side by side — a shortcut to the full palettes above.
Perceptually nearby
A step away in brightness, richness or shade — each still feels like the same color.
From the color-name library
The closest named colors to #CA9E11 — same mood, each with its own character.
Looking for more Orange shades? Browse Orange colors →
Inspiration
Curated Unsplash photos that carry the mood of Mustard Seed — hover any tile to download it or view the original.
Good to know
Harmony