Color #BC860B Color / Colour Code #BC860B
This page shows the hex color code for color #bc860b (#BC860B). The colour is a orange tone with 89% saturation and 39% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BC860B against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BC860B paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 12, 42, and 72 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 42, 162, and 282 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BC860B
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 42 and saturation at 89%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 42 to 87 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 42 with its complement at 222 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #BC860B
Lightness variations at hue 42 and 89% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BC860B
Design Use Cases for #BC860B
High-Impact Accent
With 89% saturation, #BC860B is highly vivid. Reserve this for elements that need maximum attention: primary action buttons, notification badges, error states, or promotional banners. Use sparingly alongside neutral tones to avoid visual fatigue.
Primary Interface Color
At 39% lightness, #BC860B is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#BC860B sits in the orange range (hue 42). Orange combines the energy of red with the warmth of yellow. It works naturally for progress indicators, pricing highlights, "new" badges, and friendly call-to-action buttons. Food and fitness brands frequently use this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #BC860B (hue 42) to its complement at hue 222. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 72. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bc860b, #0b40bc);
CSS Code for #BC860B
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BC860B based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BC860B across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BC860B (#BC860B)
#BC860B is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 188 red, 134 green, and 11 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 17.1:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 42 degrees with 89% saturation and 39% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BC860B is 136/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 29% magenta, 94% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BC860B against white is 3.20:1 and against black is 6.55:1. This only passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. For normal body text on white, darken the color or use it on a dark background where it achieves 6.55:1.
The complementary colour #0B40BC creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BC860B. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BC2E0B and #99BC0B, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #BC860B
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #BC860B?
- #BC860B is Color #BC860B, a orange color (colour) with RGB(188, 134, 11), HSL(42, 89%, 39%), and CMYK(0%, 29%, 94%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 136/255.
- Is #BC860B accessible for text?
- Against white, #BC860B has a contrast ratio of 3.20:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 6.55:1 (passes AA). It passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BC860B?
- The complementary colour is #0B40BC (hue 222). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BC2E0B and #99BC0B. The triadic palette adds #0BBC87 and #870BBC for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BC860B in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bc860b; or rgb(188, 134, 11); or hsl(42, 89%, 39%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 42 89% 39%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.