#D9C040
Closest named color: Mustard Yellow (#D2BD0A). oklch(80.7% 0.145 97.9), rgb(217, 192, 64).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.56:1).
About this color
#D9C040 is a light, vivid yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.145 and its hue 98°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Mustard Yellow (#D2BD0A), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.56:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.145) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Mustard Yellow (#D2BD0A) |
| Black text | 11.56:1 |
| White text | 1.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #D9C040 |
| RGB | rgb(217, 192, 64) |
| HSL | hsl(50, 67%, 55%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.7% 0.145 97.9) |
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 #D9C040 | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc -37.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #D9C040 | 11.56:1 | AAA | Lc 70.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #D9C040 text on white | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc 33.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #D9C040 text on black | 11.56:1 | AAA | Lc -68.9 | 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
#F9F6E7
oklch(97.1% 0.02 97.5)
-
Step 100
100
#F1EBCB
oklch(93.7% 0.042 98.4)
-
Step 200
200
#E7DA9D
oklch(88.5% 0.08 97.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#D9C040
oklch(80.7% 0.145 97.9)
-
Step 400
400
#B9A000
oklch(70.6% 0.146 97.9)
-
Step 500
500
#9F8900
oklch(63.1% 0.13 97.8)
-
Step 600
600
#867300
oklch(55.7% 0.115 97.6)
-
Step 700
700
#706000
oklch(49% 0.101 97.8)
-
Step 800
800
#5C4F00
oklch(42.8% 0.088 98.3)
-
Step 900
900
#4D4100
oklch(37.6% 0.078 97.3)
-
Step 950
950
#2E2600
oklch(27% 0.056 97.1)
#D9C040 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) | #D3BB2D | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #D9C448 | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #EAB2A6 | 0.132 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.145 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #D9C040
#D9C040
oklch(80.7% 0.145 97.9)
- #B1BAFF
#B1BAFF
oklch(80.7% 0.098 278.2)
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 #D9C040, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.026
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.031
- Macaroni And Cheese #EFB435 ΔE 0.042
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.042
- Golden #F5BF03 ΔE 0.043
- Saffron #E9C46A ΔE 0.046
- Golden Rod #F9BC08 ΔE 0.048
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.049
Use #D9C040 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.