Color #BC9538 Color / Colour Code #BC9538
This page shows the hex color code for color #bc9538 (#BC9538). The colour is a orange tone with 54% saturation and 48% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BC9538 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BC9538 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 #BC9538
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 42 and saturation at 54%. 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 #BC9538
Lightness variations at hue 42 and 54% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BC9538
Design Use Cases for #BC9538
Balanced UI Color
At 54% saturation, #BC9538 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.
Primary Interface Color
At 48% lightness, #BC9538 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
#BC9538 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 #BC9538 (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, #bc9538, #3860bc);
CSS Code for #BC9538
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BC9538 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BC9538 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BC9538 (#BC9538)
#BC9538 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 188 red, 149 green, and 56 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.4:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 42 degrees with 54% saturation and 48% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BC9538 is 150/255 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, 21% magenta, 70% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BC9538 against white is 2.80:1 and against black is 7.49:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 7.49:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #3860BC creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BC9538. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BC5338 and #A2BC38, 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 #BC9538
- 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 #BC9538?
- #BC9538 is Color #BC9538, a orange color (colour) with RGB(188, 149, 56), HSL(42, 54%, 48%), and CMYK(0%, 21%, 70%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 150/255.
- Is #BC9538 accessible for text?
- Against white, #BC9538 has a contrast ratio of 2.80:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 7.49:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BC9538?
- The complementary colour is #3860BC (hue 222). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BC5338 and #A2BC38. The triadic palette adds #38BC95 and #9538BC for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BC9538 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bc9538; or rgb(188, 149, 56); or hsl(42, 54%, 48%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 42 54% 48%; 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.