#C9BA4E
Closest named color: Dark Yellow (#D5B60A). oklch(78.1% 0.129 101.4), rgb(201, 186, 78).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.61:1).
About this color
#C9BA4E is a light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.129 and its hue 101°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dark Yellow (#D5B60A), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.61:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.129) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dark Yellow (#D5B60A) |
| Black text | 10.61:1 |
| White text | 1.97:1 |
Values
| HEX | #C9BA4E |
| RGB | rgb(201, 186, 78) |
| HSL | hsl(53, 53%, 55%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.1% 0.129 101.4) |
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 #C9BA4E | 1.97:1 | Fails | Lc -42.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #C9BA4E | 10.61:1 | AAA | Lc 65.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #C9BA4E text on white | 1.97:1 | Fails | Lc 38.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #C9BA4E text on black | 10.61:1 | AAA | Lc -64.3 | 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
#EFEBCF
oklch(93.6% 0.037 100.4)
-
Step 200
200
#E3DBA5
oklch(88.5% 0.071 100.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#C9BA4E
oklch(78.1% 0.129 101.4)
-
Step 400
400
#B4A200
oklch(70.6% 0.147 101.4)
-
Step 500
500
#9B8B00
oklch(63.1% 0.132 101.2)
-
Step 600
600
#827500
oklch(55.7% 0.116 101.7)
-
Step 700
700
#6D6200
oklch(49.1% 0.103 101.8)
-
Step 800
800
#595000
oklch(42.7% 0.089 102)
-
Step 900
900
#4B4200
oklch(37.7% 0.078 100.6)
-
Step 950
950
#2C2700
oklch(27% 0.057 102.1)
#C9BA4E 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) | #CAB542 | 0.013 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #CEBB54 | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #D7AEA3 | 0.118 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.129 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #C9BA4E
#C9BA4E
oklch(78.1% 0.129 101.4)
- #ABAFFF
#ABAFFF
oklch(78.1% 0.114 281.2)
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 #C9BA4E, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.032
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.033
- Dark Khaki #BDB76B ΔE 0.034
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.036
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.037
- Light Olive #ACBF69 ΔE 0.042
- Burnt Yellow #D5AB09 ΔE 0.043
- Desert #CCAD60 ΔE 0.044
Use #C9BA4E 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.