Ranking Table

Find the lightest and darkest colors for every project

Compare 148 named CSS colors by relative luminance, with hex codes and hue values to help plan bright, readable preschool crafts and clay activities.

Amy Castellanos 25 September 2026

This table ranks 100 CSS named colors by Relative Luminance, highest first, with Relative Luminance, Hex Code, Hue for every entry and a one-line reason for each position. The figures are model-estimated, not measured; the method and its limits are below. At the top: White at 100.

Click any column header to sort; type in the filter box to narrow the 100 rows.

Model-estimated ranking, methodology below. Every figure is an estimate produced for this table, not a measurement; treat the order as directional.

Filter100 of 100 rows

#	Color Name	Relative Luminance (%)	Hex Code	Hue (degrees)	Rationale
1	White	100	#FFFFFF	0	All three RGB channels are at maximum intensity, giving White the highest possible luminance.
2	Ivory	99.07	#FFFFF0	60	Maximum red and green with only a slight blue reduction keeps Ivory extremely close to pure white.
3	LightYellow	98.16	#FFFFE0	60	Full red and green channels dominate its modest blue reduction, producing exceptionally high brightness.
4	MintCream	97.83	#F5FFFA	150	A full green channel and near-maximum red and blue make MintCream one of the brightest named colors.
5	Azure	97.27	#F0FFFF	180	Full green and blue channels outweigh Azure's small red reduction under the luminance formula.
6	Snow	96.53	#FFFAFA	0	Snow has maximum red and nearly maximum green and blue, placing it just below the brightest off-whites.
7	Honeydew	96.34	#F0FFF0	120	Its full green channel carries strong luminance while red and blue remain very high.
8	FloralWhite	95.92	#FFFAF0	40	Full red, near-full green, and softly reduced blue give FloralWhite a warm but very bright appearance.
9	LightCyan	94.59	#E0FFFF	180	Maximum green and blue keep LightCyan highly luminous despite its more noticeable red reduction.
10	GhostWhite	94.31	#F8F8FF	240	Near-maximum red and green with full blue produce a cool white of very high luminance.
11	LemonChiffon	94.04	#FFFACD	54	Maximum red and near-maximum green offset its lower blue channel, preserving strong brightness.
12	Cornsilk	93.56	#FFF8DC	48	Cornsilk stays bright through full red and very high green, while reduced blue adds its creamy tone.
13	LightGoldenrodYellow	93.35	#FAFAD2	60	Equal near-maximum red and green channels give it high brightness despite a moderately lower blue value.
14	AliceBlue	92.88	#F0F8FF	208	Full blue and high green compensate for its reduced red, placing AliceBlue among the brightest pale colors.
15	Yellow	92.78	#FFFF00	60	Full red and green create very high luminance even though the blue channel is completely absent.
16	Seashell	92.74	#FFF5EE	24.71	Full red and high green and blue make Seashell nearly as luminous as saturated Yellow.
17	OldLace	91.9	#FDF5E6	39.13	Very high red and green values maintain strong luminance while its lower blue creates a warm cast.
18	WhiteSmoke	91.31	#F5F5F5	0	Equal high RGB channels make WhiteSmoke achromatic and bright, though uniformly dimmer than pure white.
19	LavenderBlush	90.17	#FFF0F5	340	Maximum red with high green and blue yields a luminous pale pink just below WhiteSmoke.
20	Beige	89.88	#F5F5DC	60	High equal red and green channels keep Beige bright while its reduced blue supplies the muted yellow tint.
21	Linen	88.36	#FAF0E6	30	Linen's descending red, green, and blue values create a warm off-white with slightly lower brightness.
22	PapayaWhip	87.8	#FFEFD5	37.14	Full red and strong green preserve brightness, but its lower blue moves it below the paler neutrals.
23	BlanchedAlmond	85.08	#FFEBCD	36	A full red channel cannot fully offset its larger green and blue reductions under perceptual weighting.
24	AntiqueWhite	84.65	#FAEBD7	34.29	High but reduced values across all channels give AntiqueWhite a softer luminance than BlanchedAlmond.
25	MistyRose	82.18	#FFE4E1	6	Full red is paired with noticeably lower green and blue, making MistyRose the least bright color in this group.
26	aquamarine	80.79	#7FFFD4	159.84	Its full green channel and strong blue channel produce the highest luminance in this group.
27	bisque	80.73	#FFE4C4	32.54	High red and green values make this pale warm color nearly as bright as aquamarine.
28	greenyellow	80.61	#ADFF2F	83.65	A maximum green channel drives its high luminance despite the relatively low blue value.
29	lavender	80.32	#E6E6FA	240	All three channels are high, placing this pale blue-violet among the brightest named colors.
30	moccasin	80.08	#FFE4B5	38.11	Maximum red and strong green keep this warm cream just above the 80 percent level.
31	palegoldenrod	78.79	#EEE8AA	54.71	Strong red and green channels give this muted yellow a high relative luminance.
32	aqua	78.74	#00FFFF	180	Full green and blue offset the absent red channel, yielding the same brightness as cyan.
33	cyan	78.74	#00FFFF	180	This exact alias of aqua combines full green and blue for identical luminance.
34	palegreen	77.94	#98FB98	120	Its near-maximum green channel dominates the luminance calculation.
35	khaki	77.01	#F0E68C	54	High red and green values make this subdued yellow brighter than most saturated colors.
36	navajowhite	76.52	#FFDEAD	35.85	Maximum red and strong green produce a bright cream tone with moderate blue.
37	paleturquoise	76.44	#AFEEEE	180	Equal high green and blue channels keep this pale cyan close behind navajowhite.
38	chartreuse	76.03	#7FFF00	90.12	A full green channel supplies most of its brightness while blue contributes nothing.
39	peachpuff	74.91	#FFDAB9	28.29	Maximum red and substantial green create nearly the same luminance as wheat.
40	wheat	74.91	#F5DEB3	39.09	Its balanced high red and green channels narrowly place it above peachpuff.
41	lawngreen	73.91	#7CFC00	90.48	Near-maximum green makes this vivid yellow-green bright despite having no blue.
42	springgreen	73.05	#00FF7F	149.88	Full green provides most of its luminance, with moderate blue adding a small amount.
43	gainsboro	71.57	#DCDCDC	0	Equal light-gray channels yield high luminance, while its achromatic hue is conventionally zero.
44	lime	71.52	#00FF00	120	Its full green channel alone creates nearly the same luminance as gainsboro.
45	mediumspringgreen	70.7	#00FA9A	156.96	Very strong green and moderate blue keep this saturated cyan-green above gold.
46	gold	69.86	#FFD700	50.59	Maximum red and strong green give gold substantial brightness without any blue.
47	lightgreen	69.09	#90EE90	120	A strong green channel lifts this pastel green above similarly pale blue shades.
48	powderblue	68.25	#B0E0E6	186.67	High green and blue values make this pale cyan-blue brighter than the light-gray pair.
49	lightgray	65.14	#D3D3D3	0	Three equal light channels create moderate-high luminance with no meaningful chromatic hue.
50	lightgrey	65.14	#D3D3D3	0	This spelling alias of lightgray has the same RGB value, luminance, and achromatic hue.
51	lightblue	63.71	#ADD8E6	194.74	Its high red, green, and blue channels yield 63.71% WCAG luminance, highest in this segment.
52	pink	63.27	#FFC0CB	349.52	Full red and strong green and blue channels keep this pale pink at 63.27% luminance.
53	turquoise	58.96	#40E0D0	174	A dominant green channel and strong blue channel produce 58.96% luminance.
54	lightpink	58.57	#FFB6C1	350.96	Full red with moderately high green and blue gives this tint 58.57% luminance.
55	thistle	56.82	#D8BFD8	300	Balanced high red and blue with softer green result in 56.82% luminance.
56	lightskyblue	56.19	#87CEFA	202.96	Very high blue and strong green offset its lower red channel for 56.19% luminance.
57	skyblue	55.29	#87CEEB	197.4	Strong green and blue channels place this airy blue at 55.29% luminance.
58	lightsteelblue	53.98	#B0C4DE	213.91	Three relatively high channels create a muted blue with 53.98% luminance.
59	silver	52.71	#C0C0C0	0	Equal mid-high RGB channels yield 52.71% luminance; its achromatic hue is conventionally recorded as 0°.
60	burlywood	51.56	#DEB887	33.79	High red and substantial green give this warm tan 51.56% luminance.
61	mediumturquoise	51.34	#48D1CC	177.81	Its strong green and blue channels produce 51.34% luminance despite limited red.
62	yellowgreen	50.76	#9ACD32	79.74	A strong green channel drives this yellow-green color to 50.76% luminance.
63	mediumaquamarine	49.39	#66CDAA	159.61	High green with moderate blue and red produces 49.39% luminance.
64	darkturquoise	48.75	#00CED1	180.86	Strong green and blue compensate for zero red, resulting in 48.75% luminance.
65	tan	48.24	#D2B48C	34.29	Its warm mix of high red, moderate green, and softer blue yields 48.24% luminance.
66	orange	48.17	#FFA500	38.82	Full red and substantial green produce 48.17% luminance despite the absent blue channel.
67	lightsalmon	47.81	#FFA07A	17.14	Full red with moderate green and blue places this pale orange-pink at 47.81% luminance.
68	sandybrown	46.63	#F4A460	27.57	High red and moderate green create a warm shade with 46.63% luminance.
69	darkkhaki	45.75	#BDB76B	55.61	Similar red and green levels keep this muted yellow at 45.75% luminance.
70	plum	45.73	#DDA0DD	300	High red and blue with moderate green produce 45.73% luminance, just below darkkhaki.
71	limegreen	44.57	#32CD32	120	Its dominant green channel drives 44.57% luminance while red and blue remain low.
72	deepskyblue	44.48	#00BFFF	195.06	Full blue and strong green yield 44.48% luminance despite having no red.
73	darkseagreen	43.79	#8FBC8F	120	A moderately strong green channel and balanced red-blue pair produce 43.79% luminance.
74	goldenrod	41.92	#DAA520	42.9	High red and moderate green create its golden tone while limiting luminance to 41.92%.
75	darksalmon	40.54	#E9967A	15.14	Its high red and moderate green channels make it the brightest remaining named color.
76	violet	40.32	#EE82EE	300	High red and blue are tempered by a lower green channel, resulting in 40.32% luminance.
77	darkorange	40.02	#FF8C00	32.94	Full red plus substantial green gives this orange nearly as much luminance as darksalmon.
78	darkgray	39.68	#A9A9A9	0	Three equal, moderately high RGB channels produce strong neutral luminance; its hue is undefined.
79	darkgrey	39.68	#A9A9A9	0	This alternate spelling shares darkgray's RGB value and undefined achromatic hue.
80	coral	37.02	#FF7F50	16.11	Full red and midlevel green keep this warm orange-pink relatively bright.
81	salmon	36.98	#FA8072	6.18	Near-full red and balanced secondary channels place it just below coral.
82	lightcoral	35.52	#F08080	0	High red with equal midlevel green and blue creates a bright, muted red.
83	lightseagreen	35.05	#20B2AA	176.71	Its strong green channel drives high luminance despite the low red component.
84	hotpink	34.66	#FF69B4	330	Full red and substantial blue offset its lower green channel.
85	mediumseagreen	34.39	#3CB371	146.72	A strong green channel gives this medium green nearly as much brightness as hotpink.
86	orchid	31.35	#DA70D6	302.26	High red and blue values make this purple brighter than most saturated violet colors.
87	tomato	30.64	#FF6347	9.13	Full red with modest green yields a moderately bright red-orange.
88	cornflowerblue	30.32	#6495ED	218.54	A high blue value and moderate green place this soft blue just below tomato.
89	peru	30.11	#CD853F	29.58	Its medium-high red and green components give this brown-orange solid luminance.
90	palevioletred	28.75	#DB7093	340.37	High red balanced by moderate green and blue keeps this muted pink above pure magenta.
91	fuchsia	28.48	#FF00FF	300	Full red and blue contribute moderate luminance, while the absent green limits brightness.
92	magenta	28.48	#FF00FF	300	This synonym of fuchsia has identical full red and blue channels and the same luminance.
93	dodgerblue	27.44	#1E90FF	209.6	Its moderate green channel contributes more luminance than its full blue channel.
94	orangered	25.52	#FF4500	16.24	Full red raises its brightness, but low green and absent blue keep it below dodgerblue.
95	chocolate	23.9	#D2691E	25	Moderate red and green make this brown-orange slightly brighter than deeppink.
96	deeppink	23.87	#FF1493	327.57	Full red sustains its luminance, though very little green sharply limits brightness.
97	lightslategray	23.83	#778899	210	Evenly stepped RGB channels create a subdued blue-gray just below deeppink.
98	lightslategrey	23.83	#778899	210	This spelling variant has the same subdued blue-gray value as lightslategray.
99	mediumpurple	22.91	#9370DB	259.63	High blue and moderate red are tempered by a lower green channel.
100	olivedrab	22.59	#6B8E23	79.63	Its moderate green channel gives this dark yellow-green the last place in this segment.

Methodology. Brightness is calculated from each CSS named color's standard hexadecimal value using the WCAG relative-luminance formula, then expressed as a percentage. Hue is derived from the same digital RGB value. Screens, printers, paint, dough, and clay may reproduce colors differently, while achromatic colors have no meaningful hue. Rows are ranked by Relative Luminance (highest first); the rationale column states why each entry sits where it does.

How This Ranking Was Built

Brightness is calculated from each CSS named color’s standard hexadecimal value using the WCAG relative-luminance formula, then expressed as a percentage. Hue is derived from the same digital RGB value. Screens, printers, paint, dough, and clay may reproduce colors differently, while achromatic colors have no meaningful hue. This is a model-estimated ranking: the values were produced by a language model asked for consistent estimates across rows, then sorted and rank-checked by code. Treat the order as directional and check any single figure against a primary source before relying on it.