#CAC916
Closest named color: Mustard Yellow (#D2BD0A). oklch(81% 0.172 109.3), rgb(202, 201, 22).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.87:1).
About this color
#CAC916 is a light, vivid yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.172 and its hue 109°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Mustard Yellow (#D2BD0A), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.87:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.172) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Mustard Yellow (#D2BD0A) |
| Black text | 11.87:1 |
| White text | 1.76:1 |
Values
| HEX | #CAC916 |
| RGB | rgb(202, 201, 22) |
| HSL | hsl(60, 80%, 44%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.172 109.3) |
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 #CAC916 | 1.76:1 | Fails | Lc -36.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #CAC916 | 11.87:1 | AAA | Lc 71.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #CAC916 text on white | 1.76:1 | Fails | Lc 32.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #CAC916 text on black | 11.87:1 | 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
#F6F7E6
oklch(97.1% 0.022 109.5)
-
Step 100
100
#ECEDC7
oklch(93.6% 0.05 108.6)
-
Step 200
200
#DDDF94
oklch(88.5% 0.096 109.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#CAC916
oklch(81% 0.172 109.3)
-
Step 400
400
#A8A700
oklch(70.6% 0.153 109.3)
-
Step 500
500
#908F00
oklch(63% 0.137 109.3)
-
Step 600
600
#797800
oklch(55.5% 0.121 109.2)
-
Step 700
700
#666500
oklch(49.1% 0.107 109.1)
-
Step 800
800
#535300
oklch(42.8% 0.093 109.8)
-
Step 900
900
#454500
oklch(37.8% 0.082 109.8)
-
Step 950
950
#292800
oklch(26.9% 0.058 108.3)
#CAC916 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) | #DAC000 | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #DCC52D | 0.031 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #D9BBAB | 0.156 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C3C3C3 | 0.173 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #CAC916
#CAC916
oklch(81% 0.172 109.3)
- #BFB6FF
#BFB6FF
oklch(81% 0.102 289.6)
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 #CAC916, closest first.
No curated palette has a color within ΔE 0.04 of #CAC916.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.031
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.049
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.050
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.056
- Yellow Green #9ACD32 ΔE 0.060
- Pea #A4BF20 ΔE 0.061
- Slime Green #99CC04 ΔE 0.065
- Greenish Beige #C9D179 ΔE 0.066
Use #CAC916 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.