Color #BC8A48 Color / Colour Code #BC8A48
This page shows the hex color code for color #bc8a48 (#BC8A48). The colour is a orange tone with 46% saturation and 51% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BC8A48 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BC8A48 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 4, 34, and 64 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 34, 154, and 274 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BC8A48
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 34 and saturation at 46%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 34 to 79 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 34 with its complement at 214 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 #BC8A48
Lightness variations at hue 34 and 46% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BC8A48
Design Use Cases for #BC8A48
Balanced UI Color
At 46% saturation, #BC8A48 strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 51% lightness, #BC8A48 has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#BC8A48 sits in the orange range (hue 34). 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 #BC8A48 (hue 34) to its complement at hue 214. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 64. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bc8a48, #497abc);
CSS Code for #BC8A48
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BC8A48 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BC8A48 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BC8A48 (#BC8A48)
#BC8A48 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 188 red, 138 green, and 72 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 2.6:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 34 degrees with 46% saturation and 51% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BC8A48 is 145/255 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, 27% magenta, 62% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BC8A48 against white is 3.06:1 and against black is 6.87:1. 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 6.87:1.
The complementary colour #497ABC creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BC8A48. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BC5049 and #B4BC49, 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 #BC8A48
- 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 #BC8A48?
- #BC8A48 is Color #BC8A48, a orange color (colour) with RGB(188, 138, 72), HSL(34, 46%, 51%), and CMYK(0%, 27%, 62%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 145/255.
- Is #BC8A48 accessible for text?
- Against white, #BC8A48 has a contrast ratio of 3.06:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 6.87:1 (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 #BC8A48?
- The complementary colour is #497ABC (hue 214). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BC5049 and #B4BC49. The triadic palette adds #49BC8A and #8A49BC for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BC8A48 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bc8a48; or rgb(188, 138, 72); or hsl(34, 46%, 51%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 34 46% 51%; 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.