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Web-safe colors are a historical set of 216 colors made by combining six hexadecimal values—00, 33, 66, 99, CC and FF—across the red, green and blue channels. The palette was intended to render consistently on displays with limited color capability. It is not a current accessibility standard, and using a web-safe color does not guarantee readable text or accessible interface design.
How the 216-color palette is defined
Each of the three RGB channels can take one of six values: 00, 33, 66, 99, CC or FF. Combining the six choices for red, green and blue produces 6 × 6 × 6, or 216, colors. For example, #336699 is in the palette because all three channel values appear in the six-value set; #123456 is not.
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The familiar palette is a historical convention associated with the limited color capabilities of earlier displays. The cited reference describes the palette but does not establish a precise inventor, launch date or browser-specific origin, so those details should not be treated as settled.
Are web-safe colors still relevant?
For contemporary websites, the palette is not a requirement. Its original compatibility rationale concerns constrained color display, not a guarantee of accurate color reproduction on every modern device. Designers can choose colors beyond the 216 and should evaluate them for the actual context in which they appear.
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Most importantly, “web-safe” does not mean accessible. Membership in the palette says which channel values were used; it does not say whether two colors are sufficiently distinguishable when placed together.
Do web-safe colors meet WCAG contrast requirements?
There is no universal pass or fail for a single color: contrast is measured between a foreground and a background. Under WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3, text generally needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal-size text and 3:1 for large text, subject to the criterion’s stated exceptions. A color from the 216-color palette can pass with one background and fail with another.
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- 【Note】Compatible with different types of pens. Multiple layers using water-based pens may result in minor surface pilling.
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Contrast also matters for meaningful non-text content, including icons, buttons and information in diagrams or maps. The W3C explains that color needs sufficient contrast, such as between text and its background, to remain distinguishable. See W3C guidance on contrast minimum and non-text contrast for the relevant criteria and context.
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- Choose colors for the design, not palette membership. You do not need to limit a modern interface to the legacy 216-color set.
- Check the actual foreground/background pair. Evaluate the relative-luminance contrast ratio for the text or interface element and its surrounding color against the applicable WCAG criterion. W3C’s contrast guidance explains the text criterion.
- Use another cue when color conveys meaning. Do not rely on color alone to identify an action, status, response or distinction. Add a textual label, icon, shape, pattern or other visual cue. See WCAG 2.2 guidance on use of color.
These checks address different questions: palette membership describes a legacy set of channel values; contrast addresses legibility in a particular pairing; and a redundant cue helps communicate meaning without relying on color alone.
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