Color Palettes

School bus yellow color

The strong yellow-orange chosen for American school buses in 1939 because it is easy to spot early in the morning and at dusk. It is now a nostalgic, high-visibility color for signs, backpacks and back-to-school designs.

Also known as: Bus yellow, National school bus chrome.

The hex code for school bus yellow is #FFD800. In RGB it is rgb(255, 216, 0), in HSL hsl(51, 100%, 50%) and in CMYK 0, 15, 100, 0.

See it in real life

Pick a color to pair it with and see how it looks on clothes, interiors and design.

Colors similar to school bus yellow

Gold#FFD700Golden yellow#FFDF00Maize#FFCB05Banana yellow#FFE135Citrine#E4D00ABright yellow#FFEA00

About school bus yellow

School bus yellow (#FFD800) is a warm, mid-tone, highly saturated color. It belongs to the yellows family. It mixes 255 red, 216 green and 0 blue (out of 255). It is mostly used in signage, kids, branding.

Swatch of School bus yellow with its shades from light to dark · #FFD800
School bus yellow · #FFD800

School bus yellow shades and tints

From lightest to darkest. Tap a shade to copy its code.

See all its shades: Color shades generator

Outfit colors by season and style80 palettes for men and women, each with 8 outfits to copy: quiet luxury, beach, mountain, office and more.See outfit palettes

School bus yellow color harmonies

Combinations based on the color wheel. More in the color harmony tool.

ComplementaryClose to: Blue
AnalogousClose to: Neon orange, Bright green
TriadicClose to: Turquoise blue, Neon purple
Split complementaryClose to: Bright blue, Blue
TetradicClose to: Spring green, Blue, Fuchsia

School bus yellow color palettes

Copy the codes or open a palette in the editor to tweak it.

Monochromatic palette · School bus yellow
Analogous palette · School bus yellow
Complementary palette · School bus yellow
Triadic palette · School bus yellow
With neutrals palette · School bus yellow
With an accent palette · School bus yellow

School bus yellow contrast with text

White textContrast 1.4:1 · Not recommended
Black textContrast 15.1:1 · AAA

Based on WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Test other pairs in the contrast checker.

CSS code

:root {
  --school-bus-yellow: #FFD800;
  --school-bus-yellow-rgb: 255, 216, 0;
}
.bg { background-color: var(--school-bus-yellow); }
.text { color: var(--school-bus-yellow); }

Colors similar to school bus yellow

Sunflower yellowDandelionCanary yellowAmber

Themed palettes with this color

More yellows

YellowGoldOld goldMustard yellowLemon yellowAmberWheatHoneyCanary yellowSaffronChampagnePastel yellowFluorescent yellowCorn yellowSunflower yellowGoldenrodDark goldenrodButter yellowMarigoldMaizeBanana yellowMellow yellowGolden yellowMetallic gold
Swatch of School bus yellow with its shades from light to dark · #FFD800
Swatch of School bus yellow with its shades from light to dark · #FFD800

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Frequently asked questions

What is the hex code for school bus yellow?

The hex code for school bus yellow is #FFD800. In RGB it is rgb(255, 216, 0), in HSL hsl(51, 100%, 50%) and in CMYK 0, 15, 100, 0.

What is the complementary color of school bus yellow?

Its complement on the color wheel is #0027FF, close to blue. Used in small doses, it works as an accent and adds strong contrast.

Can you use white text on school bus yellow?

Use black text instead: the contrast with white is only 1.4:1, while with black it is 15.1:1.