#D9BC59
Closest named color: Saffron (#E9C46A). oklch(80.1% 0.123 93.1), rgb(217, 188, 89).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.28:1).
About this color
#D9BC59 is a light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.123 and its hue 93°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Saffron (#E9C46A), ΔE 0.036 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.28:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.123) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Saffron (#E9C46A) |
| Black text | 11.28:1 |
| White text | 1.86:1 |
Values
| HEX | #D9BC59 |
| RGB | rgb(217, 188, 89) |
| HSL | hsl(46, 63%, 60%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.1% 0.123 93.1) |
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 #D9BC59 | 1.86:1 | Fails | Lc -39.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #D9BC59 | 11.28:1 | AAA | Lc 68.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #D9BC59 text on white | 1.86:1 | Fails | Lc 35.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #D9BC59 text on black | 11.28:1 | AAA | Lc -67.5 | 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
#F9F5E9
oklch(97% 0.016 91.6)
-
Step 100
100
#F2EAD0
oklch(93.7% 0.035 92.8)
-
Step 200
200
#E8D9A6
oklch(88.5% 0.068 93.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#D9BC59
oklch(80.1% 0.123 93.1)
-
Step 400
400
#C09D00
oklch(70.7% 0.145 92.8)
-
Step 500
500
#A48600
oklch(63% 0.129 93)
-
Step 600
600
#8A7100
oklch(55.6% 0.114 93.5)
-
Step 700
700
#745E00
oklch(49% 0.1 92.9)
-
Step 800
800
#5F4D00
oklch(42.6% 0.087 93.4)
-
Step 900
900
#504000
oklch(37.8% 0.077 92.8)
-
Step 950
950
#302500
oklch(26.9% 0.055 91.9)
#D9BC59 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) | #CEB94F | 0.021 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #D5C25D | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #E9AFA6 | 0.112 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BEBEBE | 0.123 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #D9BC59
#D9BC59
oklch(80.1% 0.123 93.1)
- #A9BAFF
#A9BAFF
oklch(80.1% 0.1 273.3)
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 #D9BC59, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Saffron #E9C46A ΔE 0.036
- Macaroni And Cheese #EFB435 ΔE 0.038
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.043
- Sand #E2CA76 ΔE 0.043
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.047
- Dark Khaki #BDB76B ΔE 0.047
- Desert #CCAD60 ΔE 0.048
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.051
Use #D9BC59 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.