Showa era
Spinel Red & Naples Yellow
Plate 14 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spinel Red, Naples Yellow.
#fbe6a0
yellow · 6 palettes
Naples Yellow
About Naples Yellow
Naples Yellow is a light, vivid yellow tone. Its hex value is #fbe6a0 — that is
RGB 251, 230, 160, or HSL 46°, 92%, 81%.
It holds 16.9:1 contrast against dark, so Naples Yellow works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.2:1; on black 16.9:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Naples Yellow appears in 6 combinations — most often paired with Peach Red, Grenadine Pink and Deep Slate Green.
Colours that go with Naples Yellow
From a standard colour wheel, Naples Yellow anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#fbe6a0 #A0B5FB
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#fbe6a0 #FBB9A0 #E2FBA0
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#fbe6a0 #A0FBE6 #E6A0FB
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#fbe6a0 #A0E2FB #B9A0FB
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Naples Yellow
Naples Yellow is a light, vivid tone (HSL 46°, 92%, 81%), which makes it a soft background or a light accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (16.9:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#A0B5FB) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#FBB9A0 and #E2FBA0) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Naples Yellow off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
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Palettes with Naples Yellow
Naples Yellow appears in 6 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Naples Yellow
- What is the hex code for Naples Yellow?
- Naples Yellow is #fbe6a0. It appears in 6 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Naples Yellow look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Naples Yellow (#fbe6a0) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.24:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 16.93:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Naples Yellow come from?
- Naples Yellow 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 Naples Yellow in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#fbe6a0) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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