#C9B245
Closest named color: Mustard (#CEB301). oklch(76.3% 0.13 97.3), rgb(201, 178, 69).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.93:1).
About this color
#C9B245 is a medium-light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 76%, its chroma 0.130 and its hue 97°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Mustard (#CEB301), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.93:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (76%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.130) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Mustard (#CEB301) |
| Black text | 9.93:1 |
| White text | 2.11:1 |
Values
| HEX | #C9B245 |
| RGB | rgb(201, 178, 69) |
| HSL | hsl(50, 55%, 53%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(76.3% 0.13 97.3) |
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 #C9B245 | 2.11:1 | Fails | Lc -45.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #C9B245 | 9.93:1 | AAA | Lc 62.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #C9B245 text on white | 2.11:1 | Fails | Lc 41.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #C9B245 text on black | 9.93:1 | AAA | Lc -61.0 | 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
#F8F6E9
oklch(97.1% 0.017 99.6)
-
Step 100
100
#F0EBCF
oklch(93.7% 0.037 98.7)
-
Step 200
200
#E6DAA4
oklch(88.5% 0.071 97.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#C9B245
oklch(76.3% 0.13 97.3)
-
Step 400
400
#BAA000
oklch(70.7% 0.146 97.5)
-
Step 500
500
#A08900
oklch(63.2% 0.13 97.2)
-
Step 600
600
#867300
oklch(55.7% 0.115 97.6)
-
Step 700
700
#716000
oklch(49.1% 0.101 97)
-
Step 800
800
#5D4E00
oklch(42.6% 0.088 96.3)
-
Step 900
900
#4D4100
oklch(37.6% 0.078 97.3)
-
Step 950
950
#2E2600
oklch(27% 0.056 97.1)
#C9B245 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) | #C3AE38 | 0.017 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #C9B64B | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #D8A59B | 0.119 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B2B2B2 | 0.130 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #C9B245
#C9B245
oklch(76.3% 0.13 97.3)
- #9FAAFF
#9FAAFF
oklch(76.3% 0.122 277.4)
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 #C9B245, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.029
- Burnt Yellow #D5AB09 ΔE 0.029
- Desert #CCAD60 ΔE 0.033
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.034
- Dark Khaki #BDB76B ΔE 0.035
- Muddy Yellow #BFAC05 ΔE 0.036
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.037
- Goldenrod #DAA520 ΔE 0.038
Use #C9B245 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.