#B38E15
Closest named color: Yellowy Brown (#AE8B0C). oklch(66.3% 0.131 89.3), rgb(179, 142, 21).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (6.79:1).
About this color
#B38E15 is a medium-light, moderately saturated orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 66%, its chroma 0.131 and its hue 89°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Yellowy Brown (#AE8B0C), ΔE 0.012 away. Black text reads best on it, at 6.79:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | medium-light (66%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.131) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Yellowy Brown (#AE8B0C) |
| Black text | 6.79:1 |
| White text | 3.08:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B38E15 |
| RGB | rgb(179, 142, 21) |
| HSL | hsl(46, 79%, 39%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(66.3% 0.131 89.3) |
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 #B38E15 | 3.08:1 | AA large text | Lc -63.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #B38E15 | 6.79:1 | AA | Lc 46.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B38E15 text on white | 3.08:1 | AA large text | Lc 57.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B38E15 text on black | 6.79:1 | AA | Lc -44.1 | 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
#EFEADC
oklch(93.7% 0.019 90.5)
-
Step 200
200
#E2D9BF
oklch(88.6% 0.036 91.1)
-
Step 300
300
#D1BF92
oklch(80.9% 0.063 88.8)
-
Step 400
400
#BA9D50
oklch(70.6% 0.102 89)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#B38E15
oklch(66.3% 0.131 89.3)
-
Step 600
600
#8E6F00
oklch(55.6% 0.114 89.2)
-
Step 700
700
#775D00
oklch(49.1% 0.1 89.6)
-
Step 800
800
#624C00
oklch(42.8% 0.087 89.5)
-
Step 900
900
#523F00
oklch(37.8% 0.077 89.3)
-
Step 950
950
#312501
oklch(27.1% 0.054 89.8)
#B38E15 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) | #A08D00 | 0.033 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A9971F | 0.026 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #C38079 | 0.119 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #939393 | 0.131 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B38E15
#B38E15
oklch(66.3% 0.131 89.3)
- #738EE3
#738EE3
oklch(66.3% 0.13 269.3)
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 #B38E15, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Yellowy Brown #AE8B0C ΔE 0.012
- Dark Gold #B59410 ΔE 0.017
- Yellow Brown #B79400 ΔE 0.019
- Dark Goldenrod #B8860B ΔE 0.021
- Ochre #BF9005 ΔE 0.021
- Dark Mustard #A88905 ΔE 0.024
- Brown Yellow #B29705 ΔE 0.025
- Ocher #BF9B0C ΔE 0.041
Use #B38E15 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.