#EAA538
Closest named color: Gamboge (#EE9B00). oklch(77% 0.144 74.2), rgb(234, 165, 56).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.93:1).
About this color
#EAA538 is a medium-light, vivid orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.144 and its hue 74°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Gamboge (#EE9B00), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.93:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.144) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Gamboge (#EE9B00) |
| Black text | 9.93:1 |
| White text | 2.11:1 |
Values
| HEX | #EAA538 |
| RGB | rgb(234, 165, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(37, 81%, 57%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77% 0.144 74.2) |
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 #EAA538 | 2.11:1 | Fails | Lc -45.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #EAA538 | 9.93:1 | AAA | Lc 62.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #EAA538 text on white | 2.11:1 | Fails | Lc 41.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #EAA538 text on black | 9.93:1 | AAA | Lc -61.1 | 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
#FDF4E8
oklch(97.1% 0.019 75.3)
-
Step 100
100
#FBE6CC
oklch(93.5% 0.041 73.2)
-
Step 200
200
#F9D29E
oklch(88.5% 0.08 74.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#EAA538
oklch(77% 0.144 74.2)
-
Step 400
400
#D79000
oklch(70.7% 0.15 74.1)
-
Step 500
500
#B87B00
oklch(63% 0.133 74.4)
-
Step 600
600
#9B6700
oklch(55.5% 0.117 74.4)
-
Step 700
700
#835600
oklch(49.1% 0.104 74.1)
-
Step 800
800
#6C4600
oklch(42.7% 0.091 73.9)
-
Step 900
900
#5A3A00
oklch(37.7% 0.08 74.4)
-
Step 950
950
#372100
oklch(27% 0.057 72.9)
#EAA538 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) | #BEA827 | 0.073 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #CEB93C | 0.063 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #FF938F | 0.120 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B2B2B2 | 0.144 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #EAA538
#EAA538
oklch(77% 0.144 74.2)
- #7EB8FF
#7EB8FF
oklch(77.1% 0.119 254.1)
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 #EAA538, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Gamboge #EE9B00 ΔE 0.025
- Squash #F2AB15 ΔE 0.027
- Goldenrod #DAA520 ΔE 0.031
- Mango #FFA62B ΔE 0.035
- Orange #FFA500 ΔE 0.036
- Light Orange #FDAA48 ΔE 0.037
- Macaroni And Cheese #EFB435 ΔE 0.039
- Sandy Brown #F4A460 ΔE 0.040
Use #EAA538 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.