#E9B438
Closest named color: Macaroni And Cheese (#EFB435). oklch(79.8% 0.146 84.2), rgb(233, 180, 56).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.05:1).
About this color
#E9B438 is a light, vivid orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.146 and its hue 84°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Macaroni And Cheese (#EFB435), ΔE 0.009 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.05:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.146) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Macaroni And Cheese (#EFB435) |
| Black text | 11.05:1 |
| White text | 1.90:1 |
Values
| HEX | #E9B438 |
| RGB | rgb(233, 180, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(42, 80%, 57%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.8% 0.146 84.2) |
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 #E9B438 | 1.90:1 | Fails | Lc -40.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #E9B438 | 11.05:1 | AAA | Lc 67.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #E9B438 text on white | 1.90:1 | Fails | Lc 36.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #E9B438 text on black | 11.05:1 | AAA | Lc -66.5 | 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
#FCF5E7
oklch(97.2% 0.02 84.6)
-
Step 100
100
#F7E8CB
oklch(93.5% 0.041 83.9)
-
Step 200
200
#F3D59B
oklch(88.5% 0.082 83.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#E9B438
oklch(79.8% 0.146 84.2)
-
Step 400
400
#CB9700
oklch(70.7% 0.145 83.8)
-
Step 500
500
#AE8100
oklch(63% 0.129 83.9)
-
Step 600
600
#926C00
oklch(55.5% 0.114 84.1)
-
Step 700
700
#7B5B00
oklch(49.1% 0.101 84.7)
-
Step 800
800
#654A00
oklch(42.7% 0.087 84.5)
-
Step 900
900
#553D00
oklch(37.7% 0.077 83.5)
-
Step 950
950
#332400
oklch(27.1% 0.056 85)
#E9B438 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) | #CBB423 | 0.050 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #D7C23E | 0.042 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #FDA39C | 0.131 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BCBCBC | 0.146 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #E9B438
#E9B438
oklch(79.8% 0.146 84.2)
- #9CBDFF
#9CBDFF
oklch(79.9% 0.101 263.7)
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 #E9B438, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Macaroni And Cheese #EFB435 ΔE 0.009
- Squash #F2AB15 ΔE 0.024
- Yellow Orange #FCB001 ΔE 0.031
- Butterscotch #FDB147 ΔE 0.036
- Orange Yellow #FFAD01 ΔE 0.036
- Orangey Yellow #FDB915 ΔE 0.037
- Golden Rod #F9BC08 ΔE 0.038
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.040
Use #E9B438 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.