Color Contrast Checker

The tool tests the contrast ratio of background and text colors for accessibility. You can use it to visualize different color combinations for your website design that are in compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and international legislation based on it like the EU Web Accessibility Directive, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA).

Color Contrast Tool Guide

Enter either a background and foreground color in RGB, hexadecimal format, or pick a color using the color picker. Once a color has been selected the lightness level can be adjusted.

How to Interpret the Color Contrast Ratios

Minimum contrast ratio requirements

WCAG 2.1 Level AA

Normal text - minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1
Large text - minimum contrast ratio of 3:1.

WCAG 2.1 Level AAA

Normal text: minimum contrast ratio of 7:1
Large text: minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1
Large text is defined as 14 point (18.67 px) and bold or larger, or 18 point (24 px) or larger.

Please note that incidental text such as images that are purely decorative or part of an inactive user interface component, and logotypes, such as parts of a logo or brand name, have no minimum contrast requirement.

Need additional help?

Ensuring that your website design elements have proper contrast is just one of the many steps to take on your journey to an accessible website. Our platform provides all the tools and data you need to ensure that your website is fully compliant and user-friendly for all your visitors.

See how we can help you make your website more accessible. Book a free web accessibility scan today.

Why Use a Color Contrast Checker?

Contrast is one of the more common web accessibility issues, but it is also one of the easiest to fix. According to the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS), 4.5% of the U.S. population has some kind of color insensitivity that makes it difficult to distinguish or perceive differences in hues. People with color insensitivity and low vision often have difficulty reading text that does not contrast with its background. Providing a minimum luminance contrast ratio between the text and its background can make the text more readable for users who cannot see the full range of colors and also helps those rare users who see no color.

Use Monsido’s web color contrast checker to quickly check color combinations, and ensuring that all your branded content assets and design elements are accessible to everyone. It can also be used to test color contrast with other legislation, e.g. as an ADA contrast checker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Color is such a vital element of web design as it is used to convey personality, attract attention, symbolize action, and indicate importance. As color carries a lot of significance in both being visually pleasing as well as conveying meaning, users must be able to perceive the content of different colors on a webpage. Color accessibility is important as it helps users with visual impairments like low vision or color blindness to properly distinguish content elements and read/view them effectively.

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Graphs and tables displaying analytics results inside the Monsido platform
Graphs and tables displaying analytics results inside the Monsido platform