#C9A656
Closest named color: Sand Brown (#CBA560). oklch(74% 0.107 86), rgb(201, 166, 86).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.07:1).
About this color
#C9A656 is a medium-light, moderately saturated orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.107 and its hue 86°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Sand Brown (#CBA560), ΔE 0.012 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.07:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.107) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Sand Brown (#CBA560) |
| Black text | 9.07:1 |
| White text | 2.31:1 |
Values
| HEX | #C9A656 |
| RGB | rgb(201, 166, 86) |
| HSL | hsl(42, 52%, 56%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74% 0.107 86) |
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 #C9A656 | 2.31:1 | Fails | Lc -50.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #C9A656 | 9.07:1 | AAA | Lc 58.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #C9A656 text on white | 2.31:1 | Fails | Lc 45.6 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #C9A656 text on black | 9.07:1 | AAA | Lc -56.5 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F8F5EF
oklch(97.1% 0.009 84.6)
-
Step 100
100
#F0E9DC
oklch(93.6% 0.019 83.1)
-
Step 200
200
#E4D8BE
oklch(88.5% 0.037 86.2)
-
Step 300
300
#D4BE8F
oklch(80.9% 0.067 85.7)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#C9A656
oklch(74% 0.107 86)
-
Step 500
500
#AC8200
oklch(63% 0.129 85.7)
-
Step 600
600
#916D00
oklch(55.6% 0.114 85.6)
-
Step 700
700
#7A5C00
oklch(49.2% 0.101 86.4)
-
Step 800
800
#644B00
oklch(42.8% 0.087 86.6)
-
Step 900
900
#543E00
oklch(37.8% 0.077 85.9)
-
Step 950
950
#322400
oklch(27% 0.055 86.6)
#C9A656 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) | #B7A54F | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #BFAE59 | 0.024 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #D89A94 | 0.096 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AAAAAA | 0.107 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #C9A656
#C9A656
oklch(74% 0.107 86)
- #8BA9EF
#8BA9EF
oklch(74% 0.107 266.1)
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 #C9A656, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Sand Brown #CBA560 ΔE 0.012
- Desert #CCAD60 ΔE 0.019
- Camel #C69F59 ΔE 0.021
- Sandstone #C9AE74 ΔE 0.033
- Earth Yellow #DDA15E ΔE 0.037
- Toupe #C7AC7D ΔE 0.041
- Goldenrod #DAA520 ΔE 0.042
- Fawn #CFAF7B ΔE 0.043
Use #C9A656 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.