Showa era
Light Brown Drab & Pyrite Yellow +1
Plate 239 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Pyrite Yellow, Glaucous Green.
#cab356
yellow · 4 palettes
Pyrite Yellow
About Pyrite Yellow
Pyrite Yellow is a mid-tone, muted yellow tone. Its hex value is #cab356 — that is
RGB 202, 179, 86, or HSL 48°, 52%, 56%.
It holds 10.1:1 contrast against dark, so Pyrite Yellow works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.1:1; on black 10.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Pyrite Yellow appears in 4 combinations — most often paired with Calamine BLue, Light Brown Drab and Glaucous Green.
Colours that go with Pyrite Yellow
From a standard colour wheel, Pyrite Yellow anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#cab356 #566DCA
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#cab356 #CA7956 #A7CA56
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#cab356 #56CAB3 #B356CA
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#cab356 #56A7CA #7956CA
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Pyrite Yellow
Pyrite Yellow is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 48°, 52%, 56%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (10.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#566DCA) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#CA7956 and #A7CA56) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Pyrite Yellow
Pyrite Yellow appears in 4 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.
From the archive
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