Warm combinationsLoud and appetising
Red and Yellow Color Combination
Two high-chroma hues about 60° apart on the wheel, so the pair feels urgent and energetic — the reason fast food and sale banners reach for it.
Hex codes #FF0000 and #FFFF00 — a loud and appetising pair with a 3.72:1 contrast ratio between the two colors.
Values for this combination
- RGB
- rgb(255, 0, 0)
- HSL
- hsl(0, 100%, 50%)
- Hex
- #FF0000
- RGB
- rgb(255, 255, 0)
- HSL
- hsl(60, 100%, 50%)
- Hex
- #FFFF00
Contrast between Red and Yellow
Contrast ratio 3.72:1. This only decides whether one color of the pair can carry text on the other — the colors themselves always work side by side.
Yellow text on a Red surface, at 3.72:1.
Red text on a Yellow surface, at 3.72:1.
Where this pair works
- Food branding
- Sale campaigns
- Sports graphics
Give Red (#FF0000) roughly 60% of the surface, Yellow (#FFFF00) about 30%, and leave the last 10% for the neutral below. That split is what keeps a two-color combination from turning into a fight.
A five-color set from this pair
Red and Yellow as a working palette: a pale tint of the lighter color for backgrounds, both colors as they are, a deep shade of the darker color for text and a neutral for everything in between.
- Pale tint#fae1e1backgrounds and large surfaces · closest to MistyRose
- Primary#FF0000the dominant color · closest to Red
- Secondary#FFFF00the accent color · closest to Yellow
- Deep shade#4d4d00text, borders and icons · closest to ArmyGreen
- Neutral#f6f4f4dividers and quiet surfaces · closest to WhiteSmoke
Explore Red and Yellow on their own
More color combinations
Red and Black
#FF0000 · #000000Bold and decisiveOpen combinationRed and Teal
#FF0000 · #008080Opposites attractOpen combinationYellow and Black
#FFFF00 · #000000Hazard and highlightOpen combinationFuchsia and Yellow
#FF00FF · #FFFF00Playful popOpen combinationOrange and Teal
#FFA500 · #008080Cinematic contrastOpen combinationCoral and Mint
#FF7F50 · #98FF98Fresh and friendlyOpen combinationRed and Yellow are a loud and appetising pair: two high-chroma hues about 60° apart on the wheel, so the pair feels urgent and energetic — the reason fast food and sale banners reach for it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — this pair is used for food branding, sale campaigns, sports graphics. The two colors measure 3.72:1 against each other, which is enough for large text and graphics, but not for body text.
Good to know
- Every value on this page is calculated from #FF0000 and #FFFF00 — nothing is hardcoded.
- Build a longer palette out of Red or Yellow in the palette generator, or test your own text pair in the contrast checker.
Put this combination to work
Turn Red and Yellow into a full palette, a gradient or a set of shades — or check the pair against WCAG.
