What is the hex code for Ivory Buff?

Ivory Buff is #ebd3a2. It appears in 16 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".

What does Ivory Buff look like on white and black backgrounds?

Ivory Buff (#ebd3a2) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.46:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 14.37:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Where does the color Ivory Buff come from?

Ivory Buff is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued yellow pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.

Can I use Ivory Buff in my own design or brand?

Yes. The color name and hex value (#ebd3a2) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.

#ebd3a2

yellow · 16 palettes

Ivory Buff

About Ivory Buff

Ivory Buff is a light, vivid yellow tone. Its hex value is #ebd3a2 — that is RGB 235, 211, 162, or HSL 40°, 65%, 78%.

It holds 14.4:1 contrast against dark, so Ivory Buff works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.5:1; on black 14.4:1.)

Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Ivory Buff appears in 16 combinations — most often paired with Yellow Orange, Spectrum Red and Rainette Green.

Palettes with Ivory Buff

Ivory Buff appears in 16 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Mineral Gray

Plate 11 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Mineral Gray.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Dusky Madder Violet

Plate 50 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Dusky Madder Violet.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Dusky Green

Plate 94 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Dusky Green.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Orange Rufous

Plate 102 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Orange Rufous.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1

Plate 126 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Yellow Ocher, Deep Lyons Blue.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Light Glaucous Blue +1

Plate 178 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Light Glaucous Blue, Green Blue.

Showa era

Spinel Red & Ivory Buff +1

Plate 184 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spinel Red, Ivory Buff, Light Grayish Olive.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & English Red +1

Plate 190 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, English Red, Black.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Yellow Orange +1

Plate 209 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Yellow Orange, Salvia Blue.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Sudan Brown +1

Plate 214 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Sudan Brown, Violet.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Yellow Orange +1

Plate 235 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Yellow Orange, Grayish Lavender - B.

Showa era

Raw Sienna & Ivory Buff +2

Plate 243 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Ivory Buff, Olive Green, Slate Color.

Showa era

Eugenia Red | B & Ivory Buff +2

Plate 262 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Ivory Buff, Citrine, Cossack Green.

Showa era

Spectrum Red & Ivory Buff +2

Plate 266 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Ivory Buff, Rainette Green, Benzol Green.

Showa era

Spectrum Red & Ivory Buff +2

Plate 301 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spectrum Red, Ivory Buff, Rainette Green, Aconite Violet.

Showa era

Burnt Sienna & Ivory Buff +2

Plate 343 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Burnt Sienna, Ivory Buff, Deep Grayish Olive, Vandar Poel's Blue.

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Drop a Ivory Buff swatch card into any blog post, design review, or color-study reference page. Links back to this color's detail.

<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/colors/ivory-buff/" width="360" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Ivory Buff — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

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From the archive

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All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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Ivory Buff

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About Ivory Buff

Palettes with Ivory Buff

Ivory Buff & Mineral Gray

Ivory Buff & Dusky Madder Violet

Ivory Buff & Dusky Green

Ivory Buff & Orange Rufous

Ivory Buff & Yellow Ocher +1

Ivory Buff & Light Glaucous Blue +1

Spinel Red & Ivory Buff +1

Ivory Buff & English Red +1

Ivory Buff & Yellow Orange +1

Ivory Buff & Sudan Brown +1

Ivory Buff & Yellow Orange +1

Raw Sienna & Ivory Buff +2

Eugenia Red | B & Ivory Buff +2

Spectrum Red & Ivory Buff +2

Spectrum Red & Ivory Buff +2

Burnt Sienna & Ivory Buff +2

Embed this color

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.