#C9C85E
Closest named color: Greenish Tan (#BCCB7A). oklch(81.2% 0.129 108.5), rgb(201, 200, 94).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.90:1).
About this color
#C9C85E is a light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.129 and its hue 108°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Greenish Tan (#BCCB7A), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.90:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.129) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Greenish Tan (#BCCB7A) |
| Black text | 11.90:1 |
| White text | 1.76:1 |
Values
| HEX | #C9C85E |
| RGB | rgb(201, 200, 94) |
| HSL | hsl(59, 50%, 58%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.2% 0.129 108.5) |
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 #C9C85E | 1.76:1 | Fails | Lc -36.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #C9C85E | 11.90:1 | AAA | Lc 71.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #C9C85E text on white | 1.76:1 | Fails | Lc 32.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #C9C85E text on black | 11.90:1 | AAA | Lc -70.4 | 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
#F6F7EA
oklch(97.2% 0.017 110.3)
-
Step 100
100
#EBECD0
oklch(93.5% 0.037 108.8)
-
Step 200
200
#DDDDA7
oklch(88.4% 0.071 107.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#C9C85E
oklch(81.2% 0.129 108.5)
-
Step 400
400
#AAA700
oklch(70.8% 0.153 108.5)
-
Step 500
500
#918F00
oklch(63.1% 0.137 108.8)
-
Step 600
600
#7A7800
oklch(55.6% 0.12 108.6)
-
Step 700
700
#666500
oklch(49.1% 0.107 109.1)
-
Step 800
800
#545200
oklch(42.7% 0.092 108.1)
-
Step 900
900
#464400
oklch(37.6% 0.081 107.8)
-
Step 950
950
#292800
oklch(26.9% 0.058 108.3)
#C9C85E 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) | #D6C154 | 0.023 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #D8C564 | 0.025 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #D6BDB0 | 0.115 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C3C3C3 | 0.129 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #C9C85E
#C9C85E
oklch(81.2% 0.129 108.5)
- #BEB7FF
#BEB7FF
oklch(81.1% 0.101 288.4)
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 #C9C85E, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Greenish Tan #BCCB7A ΔE 0.029
- Greenish Beige #C9D179 ΔE 0.030
- Pale Olive #B9CC81 ΔE 0.037
- Pale Olive Green #B1D27B ΔE 0.039
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.045
- Sand #E2CA76 ΔE 0.047
- Light Moss Green #A6C875 ΔE 0.048
- Light Olive #ACBF69 ΔE 0.050
Use #C9C85E 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.