#D9C851
Closest named color: Sand (#E2CA76). oklch(82.5% 0.139 101.2), rgb(217, 200, 81).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.33:1).
About this color
#D9C851 is a light, moderately saturated yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 82%, its chroma 0.139 and its hue 101°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Sand (#E2CA76), ΔE 0.039 away. Black text reads best on it, at 12.33:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | light (82%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.139) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Sand (#E2CA76) |
| Black text | 12.33:1 |
| White text | 1.70:1 |
Values
| HEX | #D9C851 |
| RGB | rgb(217, 200, 81) |
| HSL | hsl(53, 64%, 58%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(82.5% 0.139 101.2) |
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 #D9C851 | 1.70:1 | Fails | Lc -34.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #D9C851 | 12.33:1 | AAA | Lc 73.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #D9C851 text on white | 1.70:1 | Fails | Lc 30.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #D9C851 text on black | 12.33:1 | AAA | Lc -72.4 | 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
#F8F6E8
oklch(97.1% 0.019 100.1)
-
Step 100
100
#EFEBCD
oklch(93.5% 0.04 100.9)
-
Step 200
200
#E4DBA0
oklch(88.5% 0.077 100.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#D9C851
oklch(82.5% 0.139 101.2)
-
Step 400
400
#B5A200
oklch(70.7% 0.147 100.9)
-
Step 500
500
#9B8B00
oklch(63.1% 0.132 101.2)
-
Step 600
600
#827400
oklch(55.5% 0.116 101)
-
Step 700
700
#6D6200
oklch(49.1% 0.103 101.8)
-
Step 800
800
#5A5000
oklch(42.8% 0.089 101.1)
-
Step 900
900
#4B4200
oklch(37.7% 0.078 100.6)
-
Step 950
950
#2C2700
oklch(27% 0.057 102.1)
#D9C851 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) | #D9C243 | 0.016 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #DEC957 | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #E9BBAF | 0.127 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C6C6C6 | 0.139 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #D9C851
#D9C851
oklch(82.5% 0.139 101.2)
- #BBBFFF
#BBBFFF
oklch(82.4% 0.09 281.4)
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 #D9C851, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Sand #E2CA76 ΔE 0.039
- Greenish Beige #C9D179 ΔE 0.039
- Saffron #E9C46A ΔE 0.039
- Mustard Yellow #D2BD0A ΔE 0.041
- Maize #F4D054 ΔE 0.047
- Golden #F5BF03 ΔE 0.047
- Greenish Tan #BCCB7A ΔE 0.049
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.050
Use #D9C851 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.