#BDBD38
Closest named color: Olive Yellow (#C2B709). oklch(77.5% 0.149 109.4), rgb(189, 189, 56).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.49:1).
About this color
#BDBD38 is a medium-light, vivid yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.149 and its hue 109°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Olive Yellow (#C2B709), ΔE 0.019 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.49:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.149) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Olive Yellow (#C2B709) |
| Black text | 10.49:1 |
| White text | 2.00:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDBD38 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 189, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(60, 54%, 48%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.5% 0.149 109.4) |
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 #BDBD38 | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc -43.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDBD38 | 10.49:1 | AAA | Lc 65.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDBD38 text on white | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc 38.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDBD38 text on black | 10.49:1 | AAA | Lc -63.8 | 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
#F6F7E8
oklch(97.1% 0.02 109.9)
-
Step 100
100
#EBEDCC
oklch(93.6% 0.043 110)
-
Step 200
200
#DCDE9E
oklch(88.4% 0.083 109.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDBD38
oklch(77.5% 0.149 109.4)
-
Step 400
400
#A8A700
oklch(70.6% 0.153 109.3)
-
Step 500
500
#908F00
oklch(63% 0.137 109.3)
-
Step 600
600
#797800
oklch(55.5% 0.121 109.2)
-
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
#292800
oklch(26.9% 0.058 108.3)
#BDBD38 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 | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #CEB942 | 0.029 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #CAB1A3 | 0.134 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.149 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDBD38
#BDBD38
oklch(77.5% 0.149 109.4)
- #B4A8FF
#B4A8FF
oklch(77.5% 0.123 289.5)
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 #BDBD38, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.019
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.032
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.032
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.036
- Light Olive Green #A4BE5C ΔE 0.039
- Pea #A4BF20 ΔE 0.040
- Light Olive #ACBF69 ΔE 0.043
- Muddy Yellow #BFAC05 ΔE 0.043
Use #BDBD38 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.