#FFFFFF: pure white color codes, contrast and shades

By TechCompare · Updated November 2026 · How we check

#FFFFFF is rgb(255, 255, 255), with every channel at 255, the most light a screen can send in sRGB. Black text on it scores 21.00:1, the highest ratio WCAG 2 allows.

#FFFFFF

Color Codes

HEX#FFFFFF
RGBrgb(255, 255, 255)
HSLhsl(0, 0%, 100%)
OKLCHoklch(100% 0 0)

Text on #FFFFFF

White Text

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

1.00:1APCA Lc 0.0

AA Normal (4.5:1)Fail
AA Large (3:1)Fail
AAA Normal (7:1)Fail
AAA Large (4.5:1)Fail

Check White Text in Contrast Checker

Black Text

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

21.00:1APCA Lc 106.0

AA Normal (4.5:1)Pass
AA Large (3:1)Pass
AAA Normal (7:1)Pass
AAA Large (4.5:1)Pass

Check Black Text in Contrast Checker

WCAG 2 ratios are the same whichever color is the text, so they also hold for #FFFFFF text on a white or black page. APCA is a newer method that isn't part of any WCAG standard, and a minus sign means light text on dark.

#FFFFFF in the Color Picker. Tweak it with HSL or OKLCH sliders, or compare it with a second color.

Edit in the full tool

#FFFFFF turns red, green and blue all the way up. You can also write it as #FFF, the three digit short form, or as the CSS name white. It's the default page background in every browser. The cards above give its codes and test white and black text on it. Nothing is lighter, so the shade scale below runs 8 steps into gray.

Shades

Same hue and chroma in OKLCH, with even steps of lightness. Open any shade in the Color Picker.

Nearest Named Colors

CSS Name
white
#FFFFFF
ExactΔE OK 0.000
Tailwind 4
white
#FFFFFF
ExactΔE OK 0.000
Tailwind 3
white
#FFFFFF
ExactΔE OK 0.000

About #FFFFFF

Black on white is the top of the WCAG 2 contrast scale, 21.00:1. Everything else you put on a white page is measured against that. For gray text, the cutoff sits at #767676, the lightest neutral gray that passes AA at 4.54:1. #777777 already falls short at 4.48:1.

Borders and input outlines need 3:1 under WCAG 2.1. In the shade scale below, #8F8F8F is the first gray that gets there, at 3.23:1. The step before it, #AAAAAA, only reaches 2.32:1.

In print, white is the absence of ink. #FFFFFF converts to cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%), so the printer leaves that area blank and the paper shows through. A white on cream or recycled paper will never look as bright as it does on screen.

Verdict

Use #FFFFFF for page backgrounds, cards, and text on dark colors. In a dark theme, many designers set body text in an off white instead, since pure white on black can feel harsh.

From the shade scale, #8F8F8F works for borders and #757575 for secondary text, at 4.61:1. To make white see-through, add alpha digits: #FFFFFF80 is about half opacity. Click a shade to open it in the Color Picker.