#BCBE97
Closest named color: Ash Gray (#BFC8AD). oklch(79% 0.053 110), rgb(188, 190, 151).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.95:1).
About this color
#BCBE97 is a light, muted yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.053 and its hue 110°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Ash Gray (#BFC8AD), ΔE 0.034 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.95:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.053) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Ash Gray (#BFC8AD) |
| Black text | 10.95:1 |
| White text | 1.91:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BCBE97 |
| RGB | rgb(188, 190, 151) |
| HSL | hsl(63, 23%, 67%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79% 0.053 110) |
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 #BCBE97 | 1.91:1 | Fails | Lc -41.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BCBE97 | 10.95:1 | AAA | Lc 67.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BCBE97 text on white | 1.91:1 | Fails | Lc 36.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BCBE97 text on black | 10.95:1 | AAA | Lc -65.8 | 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
#F5F6F1
oklch(97.1% 0.007 115.7)
-
Step 100
100
#EAEBDF
oklch(93.6% 0.016 110.6)
-
Step 200
200
#DADBC5
oklch(88.5% 0.03 109.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BCBE97
oklch(79% 0.053 110)
-
Step 400
400
#A3A666
oklch(70.8% 0.086 110.7)
-
Step 500
500
#8E8F39
oklch(63.2% 0.109 109.8)
-
Step 600
600
#78790C
oklch(55.7% 0.118 110.3)
-
Step 700
700
#656500
oklch(49.1% 0.107 109.8)
-
Step 800
800
#525305
oklch(42.7% 0.091 110.5)
-
Step 900
900
#444511
oklch(37.8% 0.071 110.5)
-
Step 950
950
#28280C
oklch(27% 0.044 109)
#BCBE97 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) | #C5BA95 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #C5BC98 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #C2B9B3 | 0.046 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BBBBBB | 0.053 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BCBE97
#BCBE97
oklch(79% 0.053 110)
- #B9B5DB
#B9B5DB
oklch(78.9% 0.054 289.9)
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 #BCBE97, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Ash Gray #BFC8AD ΔE 0.034
- Tan #D2B48C ΔE 0.037
- Very Light Brown #D3B683 ΔE 0.038
- Putty #BEAE8A ΔE 0.041
- Fawn #CFAF7B ΔE 0.047
- Toupe #C7AC7D ΔE 0.048
- Sandstone #C9AE74 ΔE 0.049
- Burlywood #DEB887 ΔE 0.050
Use #BCBE97 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.