#E9C979
Closest named color: Sand (#E2CA76). oklch(84.6% 0.106 88.3), rgb(233, 201, 121).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (13.09:1).
About this color
#E9C979 is a light, moderately saturated orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 85%, its chroma 0.106 and its hue 88°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Sand (#E2CA76), ΔE 0.012 away. Black text reads best on it, at 13.09:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | light (85%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.106) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Sand (#E2CA76) |
| Black text | 13.09:1 |
| White text | 1.60:1 |
Values
| HEX | #E9C979 |
| RGB | rgb(233, 201, 121) |
| HSL | hsl(43, 72%, 69%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(84.6% 0.106 88.3) |
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 #E9C979 | 1.60:1 | Fails | Lc -30.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #E9C979 | 13.09:1 | AAA | Lc 76.7 | Fine for body text |
| #E9C979 text on white | 1.60:1 | Fails | Lc 27.1 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #E9C979 text on black | 13.09:1 | AAA | Lc -75.8 | Fine for body text |
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
#F9F5EB
oklch(97.1% 0.014 88.7)
-
Step 100
100
#F2E9D3
oklch(93.5% 0.031 88.4)
-
Step 200
200
#E9D8AD
oklch(88.5% 0.059 89)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#E9C979
oklch(84.6% 0.106 88.3)
-
Step 400
400
#C69A00
oklch(70.7% 0.145 88.1)
-
Step 500
500
#AA8400
oklch(63.2% 0.129 88.2)
-
Step 600
600
#8F6E00
oklch(55.5% 0.114 87.7)
-
Step 700
700
#785D00
oklch(49.2% 0.101 88.9)
-
Step 800
800
#634B00
oklch(42.6% 0.087 87.5)
-
Step 900
900
#523F00
oklch(37.8% 0.077 89.3)
-
Step 950
950
#312400
oklch(26.8% 0.055 88.3)
#E9C979 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) | #DAC773 | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #E2D07C | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #F9BDB6 | 0.096 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #CCCCCC | 0.106 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #E9C979
#E9C979
oklch(84.6% 0.106 88.3)
- #B8CBFF
#B8CBFF
oklch(84.6% 0.076 269.1)
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 #E9C979, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Sand #E2CA76 ΔE 0.012
- Saffron #E9C46A ΔE 0.017
- Sunglow #FFD166 ΔE 0.045
- Maize #F4D054 ΔE 0.045
- Maximum Yellow Red #FCBF49 ΔE 0.045
- Sandy #F1DA7A ΔE 0.046
- Greenish Beige #C9D179 ΔE 0.048
- Light Mustard #F7D560 ΔE 0.049
Use #E9C979 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.