#B9B59E
Closest named color: Putty (#BEAE8A). oklch(77% 0.032 99), rgb(185, 181, 158).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.16:1).
About this color
#B9B59E is a medium-light, muted yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.032 and its hue 99°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Putty (#BEAE8A), ΔE 0.027 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.16:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.032) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Putty (#BEAE8A) |
| Black text | 10.16:1 |
| White text | 2.06:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9B59E |
| RGB | rgb(185, 181, 158) |
| HSL | hsl(51, 16%, 67%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77% 0.032 99) |
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 #B9B59E | 2.06:1 | Fails | Lc -44.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9B59E | 10.16:1 | AAA | Lc 63.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9B59E text on white | 2.06:1 | Fails | Lc 40.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9B59E text on black | 10.16:1 | AAA | Lc -62.0 | Content text, not long reading |
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F6F5F2
oklch(97% 0.004 91.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EBEAE3
oklch(93.6% 0.009 100)
-
Step 200
200
#DCDACC
oklch(88.6% 0.019 100.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9B59E
oklch(77% 0.032 99)
-
Step 400
400
#A8A27D
oklch(70.8% 0.052 99.9)
-
Step 500
500
#938A5C
oklch(63% 0.065 98.5)
-
Step 600
600
#7E7441
oklch(55.6% 0.072 98.5)
-
Step 700
700
#6A6133
oklch(49% 0.066 98.5)
-
Step 800
800
#56502B
oklch(42.8% 0.055 100.2)
-
Step 900
900
#474227
oklch(37.7% 0.043 99)
-
Step 950
950
#2A2717
oklch(27.1% 0.028 98.9)
#B9B59E 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) | #BAB39D | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #BBB59F | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #BEB2AE | 0.028 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B4B4B4 | 0.032 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9B59E
#B9B59E
oklch(77% 0.032 99)
- #AFB3C9
#AFB3C9
oklch(77.1% 0.032 277.5)
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 #B9B59E, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Putty #BEAE8A ΔE 0.027
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.039
- Tan #D2B48C ΔE 0.040
- Bland #AFA88B ΔE 0.041
- Toupe #C7AC7D ΔE 0.043
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.045
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.048
- Fawn #CFAF7B ΔE 0.049
Use #B9B59E 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.