#C9B959
Closest named color: Dark Khaki (#BDB76B). oklch(78% 0.119 100), rgb(201, 185, 89).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.56:1).
About this color
#C9B959 is a medium-light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.119 and its hue 100°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dark Khaki (#BDB76B), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.56:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.119) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dark Khaki (#BDB76B) |
| Black text | 10.56:1 |
| White text | 1.98:1 |
Values
| HEX | #C9B959 |
| RGB | rgb(201, 185, 89) |
| HSL | hsl(51, 51%, 57%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78% 0.119 100) |
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 #C9B959 | 1.98:1 | Fails | Lc -42.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #C9B959 | 10.56:1 | AAA | Lc 65.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #C9B959 text on white | 1.98:1 | Fails | Lc 38.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #C9B959 text on black | 10.56:1 | AAA | Lc -64.0 | 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
#F8F6EA
oklch(97.1% 0.016 99)
-
Step 100
100
#EFEBD1
oklch(93.6% 0.035 99.9)
-
Step 200
200
#E3DBA9
oklch(88.6% 0.066 100)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#C9B959
oklch(78% 0.119 100)
-
Step 400
400
#B6A100
oklch(70.6% 0.147 99.9)
-
Step 500
500
#9C8A00
oklch(63% 0.131 100.1)
-
Step 600
600
#837400
oklch(55.6% 0.116 100.3)
-
Step 700
700
#6F6100
oklch(49.1% 0.102 99.4)
-
Step 800
800
#5B4F00
oklch(42.7% 0.088 99.2)
-
Step 900
900
#4B4200
oklch(37.7% 0.078 100.6)
-
Step 950
950
#2D2700
oklch(27.1% 0.056 100.5)
#C9B959 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) | #C8B450 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #CDBB5E | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #D7ADA3 | 0.109 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.119 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #C9B959
#C9B959
oklch(78% 0.119 100)
- #A9AFFF
#A9AFFF
oklch(78% 0.114 280.1)
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 #C9B959, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Khaki #BDB76B ΔE 0.025
- Desert #CCAD60 ΔE 0.035
- Light Olive #ACBF69 ΔE 0.040
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.041
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.042
- Tan Green #A9BE70 ΔE 0.045
- Burnt Yellow #D5AB09 ΔE 0.047
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.047
Use #C9B959 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.