Yellow (Munsell)
The most vivid yellow in the Munsell colour system
Yellow (Munsell) is the brightest, most colourful yellow defined in the Munsell system, a way of organising colours by how people see them. This yellow sits at the primary yellow point, called 5Y, and is the most chromatic yellow that can be shown on screens using sRGB.
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- Defined as 5Y, the primary yellow in the Munsell system
- The most chromatic yellow possible in sRGB
- Part of a system that spaces colours by human perception
What colour is Yellow (Munsell)?
Yellow (Munsell) is a specific, highly vivid yellow set out in the Munsell colour system. It is chosen as the most colourful yellow that can be displayed on screens using sRGB, and it sits at the point called 5Y, which is the system’s primary yellow. This shade stands out for its brightness and clarity compared to other yellows, making it a standard reference for what is considered a pure yellow in this system.
Where does Yellow (Munsell) come from?
The Munsell colour system was created to organise colours in a way that matches how people see differences between them. It uses three measurements: hue, value (lightness), and chroma (colourfulness). The system defines five main hues, including yellow, spaced evenly around its colour wheel. Yellow (Munsell) is set at the 5Y position, representing the primary yellow.
How Yellow (Munsell) is defined
Yellow (Munsell) is not a pigment or dye but a standard colour defined by its position in the Munsell system. It is described by its hue (5Y), value, and chroma, and is chosen as the most colourful yellow that fits within the sRGB colour space, which is used for digital screens.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
The yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagAt the gaye holud, held a day or two before a wedding, relatives rub turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Guests dress in yellow and orange.
Weddings and marriageFestival and celebrationJoySource: Gaye holudOn Pohela Falgun, the first day of spring, young women wear yellow and orange saris, a shade called basanti, with flowers in their hair.
Festival and celebrationNature and renewalJoySource: Pohela FalgunThe Flemish flag is a black lion on yellow, and the Walloon flag a red cockerel on yellow. The language communities are often shown by these colours.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of FlandersThe flag is yellow, the colour of the Sultan. By custom, ordinary people did not wear yellow in the ruler's presence.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: Flag of BruneiThe national football team plays in a yellow shirt with green trim, the canarinho. It was chosen in a newspaper contest after the 1950 World Cup final was lost in white.
Festival and celebrationPrideJoySource: Brazil national football teamShades and relatives of Yellow (Munsell)
Other yellows in the Munsell system are less chromatic or have different values of lightness. Yellow (Munsell) is set apart as the most vivid yellow possible within the sRGB range. It is sometimes confused with other standard yellows, but its definition is fixed by the Munsell system at 5Y.
Colours that go with Yellow (Munsell)
Harmonies are worked out from the value #EFCC00. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Yellow (Munsell)
What colour is Yellow (Munsell)?
Yellow (Munsell) is a very bright, vivid yellow, chosen as the most colourful yellow in the Munsell system that can be shown on screens using sRGB.
Where does the name Yellow (Munsell) come from?
The name comes from the Munsell colour system, which organises colours by how people see them. Yellow (Munsell) is the standard yellow at the 5Y position in this system.
Is Yellow (Munsell) a pigment or a standard?
Yellow (Munsell) is a standard colour definition, not a pigment or dye. It is a reference point in the Munsell system.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shades of yellow" (the section "Yellow (Munsell)"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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