WCAG Contrast Checker - AA & AAA

Color Tools

What is WCAG Contrast Checker - AA & AAA?

WCAG Contrast Checker is an accessibility utility designed to verify color contrast ratios between text (foreground) and its background. Under Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring sufficient contrast is vital for making web pages readable by visitors with visual impairments, color blindness, or varying lighting conditions. This tool calculates the exact contrast ratio instantly and rates it against the AA and AAA standards.

How it works

The tool calculates relative luminance of the foreground and background colors using the WCAG formula: L = 0.2126 * R + 0.7152 * G + 0.0722 * B, where colors are converted from sRGB to linear RGB. The final ratio (L1 + 0.05) / (L2 + 0.05) is evaluated to see if it meets the 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA) thresholds. All checking is performed entirely within your browser.

Features & Benefits

Checks WCAG 2.1 AA and AAA compliance for normal and large text
Live text preview shows exactly how the colors look together
Contrast ratio calculated entirely in your browser
Supports both hex input and native color picker

Frequently Asked Questions

What contrast ratio is required for WCAG AA?

WCAG AA requires a 4.5:1 ratio for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt regular or 14pt bold).

What is WCAG AAA?

WCAG AAA is the enhanced level: 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. It is recommended for maximum accessibility.

Why does contrast matter?

Low contrast makes text hard to read for people with low vision or color blindness. WCAG guidelines ensure content is accessible to the widest possible audience.

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