Tints & Shades
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Scale from white (50) through Apricot (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #FBCEB1
- RGB
- rgb(251, 206, 177)
- HSL
- hsl(24, 90%, 84%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.883 0.064 54)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 18%, 29%, 2%)
--color-apricotbg-[#FBCEB1]Accessibility
Score: 48/100On White (#FFF)
1.44:1
On Black (#000)
14.57:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
1.32:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #FBCEB1
color: #FBCEB1
bg-[#FBCEB1] text-[#000000]
border-left: 4px solid #FBCEB1
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Indigo Dye
#00416A
Split-Complementary
Similar Colors
Color Meaning & Psychology
Orange sits at the intersection of red's intensity and yellow's optimism. It is the warmest color in the spectrum and carries associations with harvest, health, and human warmth. Unlike red, orange is rarely perceived as aggressive — it feels friendly, approachable, and energetic. In marketing, orange signals affordability and value; premium brands tend to avoid it for this reason. Deeper burnt oranges feel earthy and artisanal; bright oranges feel playful and modern. Orange has the highest visibility against a blue sky or ocean, making it the safety color for life vests and warning signs. Its lighter value makes it approachable and soft — suitable for backgrounds, secondary UI states, and contexts requiring the hue's character without full intensity.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Apricot is applied in professional design.
- Technology and startup branding
- Food delivery and restaurant chains
- Outdoor recreation and adventure brands
- Construction and industrial safety equipment
- Health and wellness products emphasizing energy
- Home improvement and DIY retail
- Youth and education brands
- Budget and value-oriented retail
Accessibility Considerations
Normal Text
Fails AA
4.5:1 minimum required
Large Text
Fails AA Large
3:1 minimum required
UI Components
Check contrast
3:1 for non-text UI
Apricot is a light color. Use black (#000000) text on top of it for maximum readability (14.57:1). Avoid white text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #FBCEB1;Text
color: #FBCEB1;Border
border: 2px solid #FBCEB1;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #FBCEB140;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #FBCEB1, #ffffe3);Tailwind-style
--color-apricot: #FBCEB1;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Apricot without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#FBCEB1]Text
text-[#FBCEB1]Border
border-[#FBCEB1]Ring
ring-[#FBCEB1]Fill
fill-[#FBCEB1]From (gradient)
from-[#FBCEB1]Via (gradient)
via-[#FBCEB1]To (gradient)
to-[#FBCEB1]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Apricot design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-apricot: #FBCEB1;
--color-apricot-rgb: 251, 206, 177;
--color-apricot-hsl: 24, 90%, 84%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-apricot: #FBCEB1; $color-apricot-rgb: 251, 206, 177; $color-apricot-hsl: 24, 90%, 84%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'apricot': '#FBCEB1',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-apricot: #FBCEB1;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"apricot": {
"value": "#FBCEB1",
"type": "color",
"description": "Apricot — #FBCEB1"
}
}Related Palettes & Combinations
Color Combinations
More orange colors
View all →What Does Apricot Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
Across color psychology research, orange-family hues consistently test as the most approachable in the warm spectrum. Apricot embodies this quality—its light character projecting energy in ways that lower psychological barriers and encourage engagement.
- In Western design, orange occupies a unique middle ground between red's urgency and yellow's optimism—friendlier than the former, more energetic than the latter. It signals approachability, affordability, and enthusiasm without the aggression of pure red.
- In Buddhist traditions, saffron and orange are sacred colors worn by monks and associated with renunciation, warmth, and spiritual enlightenment. In Hinduism, orange (saffron) represents purity, fire, and courage.
- Apricot's light lightness (84%) shifts its psychological register: Peach and apricot tones soften orange's enthusiasm into a gentle, nurturing warmth—popular in wellness, food, and lifestyle branding.
- At 90% saturation, Apricot reads as vivid—Pure saturated oranges are impossible to ignore—they pulse with kinetic energy and work exceptionally well for sports brands, gaming, and anything that needs to project confidence and action.
Use Apricot where you want energy without intimidation. It's the color that says "come in" rather than "stop here."
How to Use Apricot in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Brands seeking approachability often reach for orange when they've ruled out red (too intense) and yellow (too cautious). Apricot's light warmth occupies exactly that positioning sweet spot.
- UI components: secondary action buttons, highlight states, notification badges—Apricot performs reliably in all these roles with its light tonal character.
- Brand & identity: secondary CTAs, highlight accents, notification dots—contexts where Apricot's vivid quality creates the right register.
- Typography: Apricot as text requires a dark background; its 84% lightness means it provides 1.4:1 contrast on white, not meeting WCAG AA.
- Apricot creates strong legibility with black text overlays (14.6:1 contrast ratio), making it a reliable background or surface color in design systems
- Proportional use: Apricot's vivid saturation (90%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
Use Apricot where you want energy without intimidation. It's the color that says "come in" rather than "stop here."
Apricot Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Apricot (#FBCEB1) achieves a 14.57:1 contrast ratio with black text, surpassing the WCAG 2.1 AAA threshold of 7:1. This exceptional contrast qualifies it for body text, UI components at any size, and all accessibility-sensitive interface contexts. Relative luminance: 67.8%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 1.44:1 — Fail
- As text on black (#000000): 14.57:1 — AAA ✓
- Best text color on Apricot background: Black (#000000) at 14.57:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 67.8% — above-median luminance—it reads as a light to mid-tone background, compatible with dark text while retaining color personality
- Apricot qualifies for all text sizes including small body copy (AAA).
- Color blindness consideration: protanopia and deuteranopia (red-green color blindness, ~8% of males) may affect how orange-family colors are distinguished from greens and browns. For critical UI states, supplement color alone with shape, label, or pattern cues.
For production use, test Apricot against your specific background colors rather than assuming #FFFFFF or #000000 performance translates. Surrounding colors alter perceived contrast.
Apricot in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Apricot's brand positioning falls squarely in the territory of enthusiasm, warmth, creativity, and accessibility. Industry data supports its strongest performance in food delivery, sports & fitness, tech startups categories, where the vivid saturation calibrates the message at a light, considered level.
- Food & Beverage: Orange stimulates appetite almost as effectively as red while feeling friendlier and more playful. Food delivery apps, snack brands, and casual dining chains use it to communicate deliciousness and accessibility. (examples: Chipotle, Sweetgreen, Blue Bottle Coffee) Pairs well with white for clean, appetizing digital food interfaces.
- Sports & Fitness: Orange communicates high energy, competitive drive, and athletic enthusiasm. It's a popular secondary color in sports branding precisely because it energizes without the urgency or danger association of red. (examples: Nike, Gatorade, Under Armour) Orange-and-black is a classic high-visibility sports palette used from road construction to professional teams.
- Technology & Startups: Challenger tech brands use orange to signal they're energetic, user-friendly, and disrupting stuffy industries. It positions a product as approachable and human without sacrificing ambition. (examples: Apple, Microsoft, Salesforce) Works better for B2C tools and consumer products than for enterprise SaaS where trust and professionalism dominate.
- Brand positioning: Apricot is best suited for brands projecting friendly, enthusiastic, accessible. Categories outside this positioning—luxury or premium positioning (reads as affordable—tend to see weaker results.
- Adjacent applications: Beyond primary industries, Apricot works effectively in secondary CTAs, highlight accents, notification dots—contexts where creativity serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
For marketers and brand strategists, Apricot is a commitment to enthusiasm, warmth, creativity, and accessibility. Match it with industries that make that promise and it will pay dividends consistently.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Apricot? ▾
- The hex code for Apricot is #FBCEB1. Its RGB values are rgb(251, 206, 177) and its HSL values are hsl(24, 90%, 84%).
- What does Apricot mean in design? ▾
- Orange sits at the intersection of red's intensity and yellow's optimism. It is the warmest color in the spectrum and carries associations with harvest, health, and human warmth. Unlike red, orange is rarely perceived as aggressive — it feels friendly, approachable, and energetic. In marketing, orange signals affordability and value; premium brands tend to avoid it for this reason. Deeper burnt oranges feel earthy and artisanal; bright oranges feel playful and modern. Orange has the highest visibility against a blue sky or ocean, making it the safety color for life vests and warning signs. Its lighter value makes it approachable and soft — suitable for backgrounds, secondary UI states, and contexts requiring the hue's character without full intensity.
- Is Apricot WCAG accessible? ▾
- Apricot (#FBCEB1) does not pass WCAG AA on white (1.44:1 ratio). Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 14.57:1. Its overall accessibility score is 48/100.
- What colors go well with Apricot? ▾
- Apricot pairs well with its complementary color Indigo Dye (#00416A). Analogous colors like Wine and Scarlet also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Apricot used for? ▾
- Apricot is commonly used for: Technology and startup branding; Food delivery and restaurant chains; Outdoor recreation and adventure brands; Construction and industrial safety equipment; Health and wellness products emphasizing energy.
- What are the CSS and Tailwind values for Apricot? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #FBCEB1` or `background-color: #FBCEB1`. The CSS custom property is `--color-apricot: #FBCEB1`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#FBCEB1]` for backgrounds or `text-[#FBCEB1]` for text.