Brown Yellow #B29705
Brown Yellow is a medium-light, moderately saturated yellow with hex code #B29705 and RGB rgb(178, 151, 5).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (7.32:1).
About this color
#B29705 is a medium-light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 68%, its chroma 0.139 and its hue 96°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. It is the named color Brown Yellow. Black text reads best on it, at 7.32:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (68%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.139) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Brown Yellow |
| Black text | 7.32:1 |
| White text | 2.86:1 |
Colors that go with Brown Yellow
Matches found by rotating Brown Yellow around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Brown Yellow
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Brown Yellow, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Brown Yellow, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Gold #B59410 ΔE 0.010
- Yellow Brown #B79400 ΔE 0.010
- Ocher #BF9B0C ΔE 0.024
- Ochre #BF9005 ΔE 0.027
- Yellowy Brown #AE8B0C ΔE 0.033
- Ocre #C69C04 ΔE 0.036
- Dark Mustard #A88905 ΔE 0.042
- Yellow Ochre #CB9D06 ΔE 0.045
More about Brown Yellow
How to make Brown Yellow
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 4 parts yellow
- 3 parts brown
- 1 part green
Recipe result: #B59830, a difference of ΔE 0.019 from Brown Yellow. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Brown Yellow in every format
| HEX | #B29705 |
| RGB | rgb(178, 151, 5) |
| HSL | hsl(51, 95%, 36%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(68.1% 0.139 96.1) |
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 #B29705 | 2.86:1 | Fails | Lc -60.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #B29705 | 7.32:1 | AAA | Lc 49.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B29705 text on white | 2.86:1 | Fails | Lc 54.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B29705 text on black | 7.32:1 | AAA | Lc -47.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
Shades and tints of Brown Yellow
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F8F6ED
oklch(97.2% 0.012 96.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EFEAD8
oklch(93.6% 0.024 94.1)
-
Step 200
200
#E2DAB6
oklch(88.6% 0.048 96.9)
-
Step 300
300
#D1C17F
oklch(80.9% 0.087 96.2)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#B29705
oklch(68.1% 0.139 96.1)
-
Step 500
500
#A18800
oklch(63.1% 0.13 96)
-
Step 600
600
#877200
oklch(55.5% 0.114 96.2)
-
Step 700
700
#726000
oklch(49.2% 0.101 96.3)
-
Step 800
800
#5D4E00
oklch(42.6% 0.088 96.3)
-
Step 900
900
#4E4100
oklch(37.8% 0.078 96.2)
-
Step 950
950
#2E2600
oklch(27% 0.056 97.1)
Brown Yellow 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) | #A89400 | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AF9C19 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #C18A80 | 0.127 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #989898 | 0.139 |
Use Brown Yellow 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.