#AE8A21
Closest named color: Yellowy Brown (#AE8B0C). oklch(65% 0.123 88.3), rgb(174, 138, 33).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (6.45:1).
About this color
#AE8A21 is a medium-light, moderately saturated orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 65%, its chroma 0.123 and its hue 88°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Yellowy Brown (#AE8B0C), ΔE 0.009 away. Black text reads best on it, at 6.45:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | medium-light (65%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.123) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Yellowy Brown (#AE8B0C) |
| Black text | 6.45:1 |
| White text | 3.25:1 |
Values
| HEX | #AE8A21 |
| RGB | rgb(174, 138, 33) |
| HSL | hsl(45, 68%, 41%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(65% 0.123 88.3) |
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 #AE8A21 | 3.25:1 | AA large text | Lc -65.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #AE8A21 | 6.45:1 | AA | Lc 44.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #AE8A21 text on white | 3.25:1 | AA large text | Lc 59.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #AE8A21 text on black | 6.45:1 | AA | Lc -42.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
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 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F8F5EF
oklch(97.1% 0.009 84.6)
-
Step 100
100
#EFE9DD
oklch(93.5% 0.017 84.6)
-
Step 200
200
#E2D8C1
oklch(88.4% 0.033 87.3)
-
Step 300
300
#D1BF95
oklch(80.9% 0.06 87.5)
-
Step 400
400
#B99D57
oklch(70.6% 0.095 88.1)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#AE8A21
oklch(65% 0.123 88.3)
-
Step 600
600
#8F6E00
oklch(55.5% 0.114 87.7)
-
Step 700
700
#785C00
oklch(49% 0.1 87.9)
-
Step 800
800
#634B00
oklch(42.6% 0.087 87.5)
-
Step 900
900
#523F00
oklch(37.8% 0.077 89.3)
-
Step 950
950
#312504
oklch(27.1% 0.051 88.2)
#AE8A21 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) | #9B8907 | 0.035 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A49327 | 0.027 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #BD7D76 | 0.111 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #8F8F8F | 0.123 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #AE8A21
#AE8A21
oklch(65% 0.123 88.3)
- #6F8BDA
#6F8BDA
oklch(65% 0.123 268.1)
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 #AE8A21, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Yellowy Brown #AE8B0C ΔE 0.009
- Dark Mustard #A88905 ΔE 0.015
- Dark Goldenrod #B8860B ΔE 0.018
- Mustard Brown #AC7E04 ΔE 0.031
- Dark Gold #B59410 ΔE 0.032
- Yellow Brown #B79400 ΔE 0.034
- Ochre #BF9005 ΔE 0.034
- Dark Tan #AF884A ΔE 0.036
Use #AE8A21 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.