Muddy Yellow #BFAC05
Muddy Yellow is a medium-light, vivid yellow with hex code #BFAC05 and RGB rgb(191, 172, 5).
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Black text reads best on this color (9.11:1).
About this color
#BFAC05 is a medium-light, vivid yellow. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.153 and its hue 101°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. It is the named color Muddy Yellow. Black text reads best on it, at 9.11:1.
| Hue family | Yellows |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.153) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Muddy Yellow |
| Black text | 9.11:1 |
| White text | 2.30:1 |
Colors that go with Muddy Yellow
Matches found by rotating Muddy Yellow 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 Muddy Yellow
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Muddy Yellow, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Muddy Yellow, with their ΔE distance.
- Olive Yellow #C2B709 ΔE 0.029
- Mustard #CEB301 ΔE 0.031
- Burnt Yellow #D5AB09 ΔE 0.035
- Mustard Green #A8B504 ΔE 0.040
- Yellow Ochre #CB9D06 ΔE 0.042
- Ocre #C69C04 ΔE 0.042
- Dark Yellow #D5B60A ΔE 0.044
- Ocher #BF9B0C ΔE 0.045
More about Muddy Yellow
How to make Muddy Yellow
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.
- 4 parts yellow
- 2 parts brown
- 1 part green
Recipe result: #BEAD2F, a difference of ΔE 0.014 from Muddy Yellow. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Muddy Yellow in every format
| HEX | #BFAC05 |
| RGB | rgb(191, 172, 5) |
| HSL | hsl(54, 95%, 38%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(73.8% 0.153 101.4) |
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 #BFAC05 | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc -50.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #BFAC05 | 9.11:1 | AAA | Lc 58.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #BFAC05 text on white | 2.30:1 | Fails | Lc 45.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #BFAC05 text on black | 9.11:1 | AAA | Lc -56.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
Shades and tints of Muddy Yellow
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F7F6EC
oklch(97.1% 0.013 102)
-
Step 100
100
#EDEBD6
oklch(93.6% 0.028 102.5)
-
Step 200
200
#E0DBB3
oklch(88.5% 0.053 101.5)
-
Step 300
300
#CDC379
oklch(80.9% 0.095 101.6)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#BFAC05
oklch(73.8% 0.153 101.4)
-
Step 500
500
#9B8B00
oklch(63.1% 0.132 101.2)
-
Step 600
600
#827500
oklch(55.7% 0.116 101.7)
-
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)
Muddy Yellow 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) | #BEA700 | 0.013 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #C3AE1E | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #CF9E92 | 0.141 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #ABABAB | 0.153 |
Use Muddy Yellow 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.