Golden Rod #F9BC08
Golden Rod is a light, vivid orange with hex code #F9BC08 and RGB rgb(249, 188, 8).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.22:1).
About this color
#F9BC08 is a light, vivid orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 83%, its chroma 0.169 and its hue 85°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. It is the named color Golden Rod. Black text reads best on it, at 12.22:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | light (83%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.169) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Golden Rod |
| Black text | 12.22:1 |
| White text | 1.71:1 |
Colors that go with Golden Rod
Matches found by rotating Golden Rod around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Golden Rod
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Golden Rod, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Golden Rod, with their ΔE distance.
- Golden #F5BF03 ΔE 0.010
- Orangey Yellow #FDB915 ΔE 0.010
- Amber #FFBE0B ΔE 0.011
- Marigold #FCC006 ΔE 0.011
- Sunflower #FFC512 ΔE 0.025
- Golden Yellow #FEC615 ΔE 0.026
- Maximum Yellow Red #FCBF49 ΔE 0.027
- Yellow Orange #FCB001 ΔE 0.029
More about Golden Rod
How to make Golden Rod
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 2 parts yellow
- 1 part orange
Recipe result: #FCBC22, a difference of ΔE 0.009 from Golden Rod. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Golden Rod in every format
| HEX | #F9BC08 |
| RGB | rgb(249, 188, 8) |
| HSL | hsl(45, 95%, 50%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(82.8% 0.169 84.7) |
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 #F9BC08 | 1.71:1 | Fails | Lc -34.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #F9BC08 | 12.22:1 | AAA | Lc 73.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #F9BC08 text on white | 1.71:1 | Fails | Lc 30.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #F9BC08 text on black | 12.22:1 | AAA | Lc -72.1 | Content text, not long reading |
Shades and tints of Golden Rod
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
#FDF5E5
oklch(97.2% 0.023 84.6)
-
Step 100
100
#F9E8C6
oklch(93.6% 0.048 84.6)
-
Step 200
200
#F6D590
oklch(88.5% 0.094 85)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#F9BC08
oklch(82.8% 0.169 84.7)
-
Step 400
400
#CA9800
oklch(70.8% 0.145 84.9)
-
Step 500
500
#AD8200
oklch(63.1% 0.129 85.1)
-
Step 600
600
#926D00
oklch(55.7% 0.114 85)
-
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
#543D00
oklch(37.5% 0.077 84.5)
-
Step 950
950
#332400
oklch(27.1% 0.056 85)
Golden Rod 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) | #D6BC00 | 0.055 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #E5CC1E | 0.047 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #FFA9A0 | 0.145 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C5C5C5 | 0.169 |
Use Golden Rod 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.