UI Color Accessibility Checker

Color accessibility ensures that color combinations provide sufficient contrast for people with visual impairments, including color blindness and low vision. It's essential for making websites and apps usable by everyone and is often required by law for public and commercial websites.

WCAG AA requires a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text and 3:1 for large text. AAA is more stringent, requiring 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. AA is the legal standard for most compliance requirements, while AAA is recommended for critical interfaces.

Enter your foreground (text) and background colors in the tool. It will calculate the contrast ratio and show you whether it meets AA or AAA standards for both normal and large text. Green checkmarks indicate compliance, while red X marks show failures.

Large text is defined as 18pt (24px) or larger for regular text, or 14pt (18.67px) or larger for bold text. These sizes have lower contrast requirements (3:1 for AA, 4.5:1 for AAA) because they're easier to read.

Yes! Use the "Add to Comparison List" button to save color combinations and compare multiple pairs side-by-side. This is helpful when designing color schemes or testing different UI elements that need consistent accessibility standards.

The tool supports hex color codes in both 6-digit (#000000) and 3-digit (#000) formats. You can enter colors manually or use the color picker for visual selection. The tool automatically expands 3-digit codes to 6-digit format for calculations.

Contrast ratios are calculated based on luminance (brightness) rather than hue (color). Colors with the same luminance will have identical contrast ratios even if they appear different to people with normal color vision.

You have several options: adjust the brightness/darkness of one color, add a border or outline for text, use the colors for larger text only, or reserve them for decorative elements that don't need to meet contrast requirements.

Contrast requirements apply to text, images of text, and UI components like buttons and form fields. They don't apply to decorative elements, logos, or inactive/disabled components. Focus indicators and other interactive states also need sufficient contrast.

The tool uses the official WCAG 2.1 formula for calculating relative luminance and contrast ratios. The calculations are mathematically precise and match those used by browser accessibility tools and professional accessibility auditing software.

Absolutely! The WCAG guidelines apply to mobile apps as well as websites. Many mobile platforms (iOS, Android) reference WCAG standards in their accessibility guidelines, making this tool valuable for mobile UI design and testing.

Currently, the tool supports hex color codes. For RGB, HSL, or other formats, you can use our Color Picker Converter tool to convert between formats first, then use the hex values in this accessibility checker.