#A9A42E
Closest named color: Brown Yellow (#B29705). oklch(70.2% 0.134 106.9), rgb(169, 164, 46).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.03:1).
About this color
#A9A42E is a medium-light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 70%, its chroma 0.134 and its hue 107°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Brown Yellow (#B29705), ΔE 0.034 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.03:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (70%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.134) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Brown Yellow (#B29705) |
| Black text | 8.03:1 |
| White text | 2.61:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A9A42E |
| RGB | rgb(169, 164, 46) |
| HSL | hsl(58, 57%, 42%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(70.2% 0.134 106.9) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #A9A42E | 2.61:1 | Fails | Lc -56.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #A9A42E | 8.03:1 | AAA | Lc 53.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A9A42E text on white | 2.61:1 | Fails | Lc 50.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #A9A42E text on black | 8.03:1 | AAA | Lc -51.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F6F6EE
oklch(97.1% 0.011 106.6)
-
Step 100
100
#EBEBD9
oklch(93.5% 0.024 106.9)
-
Step 200
200
#DCDCB9
oklch(88.5% 0.046 107.3)
-
Step 300
300
#C6C585
oklch(80.9% 0.084 107.4)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#A9A42E
oklch(70.2% 0.134 106.9)
-
Step 500
500
#938E00
oklch(63.1% 0.135 107.2)
-
Step 600
600
#7C7700
oklch(55.6% 0.119 106.8)
-
Step 700
700
#686400
oklch(49.1% 0.105 107)
-
Step 800
800
#555200
oklch(42.8% 0.092 107.3)
-
Step 900
900
#474400
oklch(37.7% 0.081 106.8)
-
Step 950
950
#2A2800
oklch(27% 0.058 106.8)
#A9A42E with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #B29E18 | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B4A237 | 0.020 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B5998D | 0.122 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A0A0A0 | 0.134 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A9A42E
#A9A42E
oklch(70.2% 0.134 106.9)
- #9A91EE
#9A91EE
oklch(70.3% 0.134 286.8)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #A9A42E, closest first.
No curated palette has a color within ΔE 0.04 of #A9A42E.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Brown Yellow #B29705 ΔE 0.034
- Pea Soup Green #94A617 ΔE 0.035
- Ocher #BF9B0C ΔE 0.037
- Dark Gold #B59410 ΔE 0.042
- Yellow Brown #B79400 ΔE 0.043
- Muddy Yellow #BFAC05 ΔE 0.043
- Ocre #C69C04 ΔE 0.045
- Avocado #90B134 ΔE 0.046
Use #A9A42E in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.