# Accessible Color Palette Contrast Checker Audit every color pair in a palette against WCAG 2.1 AA and AAA contrast thresholds and suggest adjustments > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/accessible-color-palette-contrast-checker - **Category:** Design - **Keywords:** wcag, contrast, accessibility, palette, color audit, design system ## Overview The Accessible Color Palette Contrast Checker is a specialized design utility that audits every color combination within a palette against WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. By inputting a list of brand or UI colors, designers and developers can instantly identify which foreground and background pairings fail AA or AAA contrast thresholds and receive actionable recommendations for adjustments. ## Inputs - **Palette Colors** (textarea): brand-primary: #1D4ED8 brand-secondary: #F59E0B surface: #FFFFFF text: #111827 - **WCAG Target** (select) - **Include Same Color Pairs** (checkbox) ## When to use - When establishing a new design system and needing to verify that all foundational colors meet accessibility guidelines. - When auditing an existing brand palette to identify non-compliant text and background color combinations. - When preparing UI themes, such as light and dark modes, to ensure sufficient contrast for visually impaired users. ## How it works - Paste your color palette into the text area using a simple 'name: #hex' format. - Select your desired WCAG compliance target, such as AA Normal Text (4.5:1) or AAA Large Text (4.5:1). - Choose whether to evaluate identical color pairs against each other. - Review the generated JSON report detailing passing pairs, failing combinations, and suggested adjustments. ## Use cases - Auditing a corporate brand guideline document to ensure marketing materials are accessible. - Validating a web application's CSS variables before deploying a new user interface theme. - Generating an accessibility compliance report for a client's digital design system. ## Frequently asked questions ### What WCAG standards does this tool support? It supports WCAG 2.1 AA and AAA contrast thresholds for both normal and large text sizes. ### How should I format my color inputs? Enter one color per line in the format 'name: #hexcode', for example, 'surface: #FFFFFF'. ### What does the tool output? It generates a JSON report summarizing the total combinations, the number of failing pairs, and specific recommendations for improvement. ### Can I check AAA compliance for large text? Yes, you can select 'AAA Large Text (4.5:1)' from the WCAG Target dropdown menu. ### Does it suggest how to fix failing colors? Yes, the output includes recommendations on which colors in a failing pair need to be darkened or lightened to meet the selected threshold. ## Related tools - [Color Accessibility Checker](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/color-accessibility-checker): Check color contrast ratios for WCAG compliance - [Color Contrast Checker](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/color-contrast-checker): Check color contrast ratio and WCAG compliance for accessibility - [Color Space Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/color-space-converter): Convert a color between HEX, RGB, HSL, CIELAB, and Display-P3 with CSS-ready output and gamut checks. - [Color Vision Accessibility Checker](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/color-vision-accessibility-checker): Measure WCAG contrast, simulate major color-vision deficiencies, and optionally flag low-contrast regions in a UI screenshot - [TPN Macronutrient Calculator (Glucose/AA/Lipid)](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/tpn-macronutrient-calculator): Calculate glucose/amino-acid/lipid delivery (grams and kcal), total and non-protein calories, the non-protein kcal:g nitrogen ratio and per-kg values from a parenteral nutrition prescription. Energy densities: dextrose 3.4 kcal/g, AA 4.0 kcal/g, lipid 20% ≈ 2.0 kcal/mL. Targets (ASPEN/ESPEN): 20–30 kcal/kg/day, protein 1.0–1.5 g/kg/day. This is a prescription-analysis aid, not a compounding recipe. Derived from ASPEN 2016, ESPEN 2019, McClave 2016, Mirtallo 2004. Not medical advice. - [Accessibility Audit Report Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/accessibility-audit-report-generator): Audit HTML or a URL for common WCAG issues and export a structured PDF report grouped by severity - [Accessibility Checker](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/accessibility-checker): Detect common WCAG 2.1 accessibility issues in HTML, fetched pages, or design images and return fix-ready guidance - [Color Scheme Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/color-scheme-generator): Generate professional color schemes and palettes for design projects ## Samples - [Color Code Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/color-code): Collection of color codes in various formats (Hex, RGB, HSL, named colors) for validation testing - [Android Image Processing Java Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/android-image-processing-java): Android Java image processing examples including reading/saving images, scaling, and format conversion - [Android Image Processing Kotlin Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/android-image-processing-kotlin): Android Kotlin image processing examples including reading/saving images, scaling, and format conversion - [Web Image Processing Python Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/web-image-processing-python): Web Python image processing examples using PIL/Pillow including reading, saving, resizing, and format conversion ## Related content - [CSS Effects, Palettes, and Design Token Generators](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/design-generate): Curated tools for CSS visual effects, palette building, and design token generation in one hub. - [Web Accessibility Audit and Accessible Color Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/web-accessibility-audits): Review WCAG issues, screen-reader order, contrast failures, color-vision risk, and accessible palette choices in one hub for website and UI accessibility workflows. - [Color Design & Color Space Conversion Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/color-design-tools): Compare color converters, palette generators, harmony tools, accessibility checkers, and color adjustment utilities in one hub for designers and developers. - [Color Space Conversion Tools for Web and Print](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/design-convert): Curated tools for web-to-print color space conversion in one hub.