#BCBD38
Closest named color: Olive Yellow (#C2B709). oklch(77.4% 0.15 109.9), rgb(188, 189, 56).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.47:1).
About this color
#BCBD38 is a medium-light, vivid yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.150 and its hue 110°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Olive Yellow (#C2B709), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.47:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.150) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Olive Yellow (#C2B709) |
| Black text | 10.47:1 |
| White text | 2.00:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BCBD38 |
| RGB | rgb(188, 189, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(60, 54%, 48%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.4% 0.15 109.9) |
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 #BCBD38 | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc -43.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BCBD38 | 10.47:1 | AAA | Lc 65.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BCBD38 text on white | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc 38.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BCBD38 text on black | 10.47:1 | AAA | Lc -63.6 | 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
#F6F7E8
oklch(97.1% 0.02 109.9)
-
Step 100
100
#EBEDCC
oklch(93.6% 0.043 110)
-
Step 200
200
#DCDF9E
oklch(88.6% 0.084 110.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BCBD38
oklch(77.4% 0.15 109.9)
-
Step 400
400
#A7A800
oklch(70.7% 0.155 110.2)
-
Step 500
500
#8F9000
oklch(63.2% 0.138 110.3)
-
Step 600
600
#787900
oklch(55.7% 0.122 110.4)
-
Step 700
700
#656500
oklch(49.1% 0.107 109.8)
-
Step 800
800
#535300
oklch(42.8% 0.093 109.8)
-
Step 900
900
#454500
oklch(37.8% 0.082 109.8)
-
Step 950
950
#282900
oklch(27.1% 0.06 111.2)
#BCBD38 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) | #CCB521 | 0.028 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #CDB942 | 0.029 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #C9B1A3 | 0.134 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.150 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BCBD38
#BCBD38
oklch(77.4% 0.15 109.9)
- #B4A7FF
#B4A7FF
oklch(77.3% 0.124 289.9)
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 #BCBD38, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.020
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.033
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.033
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.037
- Light Olive Green #A4BE5C ΔE 0.038
- Pea #A4BF20 ΔE 0.038
- Light Olive #ACBF69 ΔE 0.042
- Mustard Green #A8B504 ΔE 0.042
Use #BCBD38 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.