Color #BDAA73 Color / Colour Code #BDAA73
This page shows the hex color code for color #bdaa73 (#BDAA73). The colour is a yellow tone with 36% saturation and 60% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BDAA73 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BDAA73 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 15, 45, and 75 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 45, 165, and 285 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BDAA73
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 45 and saturation at 36%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 45 to 90 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 45 with its complement at 225 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 #BDAA73
Lightness variations at hue 45 and 36% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BDAA73
Design Use Cases for #BDAA73
Balanced UI Color
At 36% saturation, #BDAA73 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 60% lightness, #BDAA73 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.
Attention & Optimism
#BDAA73 is in the yellow spectrum (hue 45). Yellow attracts attention faster than any other color. Use it for warning labels, featured content markers, star ratings, and tooltip backgrounds. Pair with dark text since yellow often fails contrast checks against white.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #BDAA73 (hue 45) to its complement at hue 225. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 75. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bdaa73, #7487be);
CSS Code for #BDAA73
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BDAA73 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BDAA73 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BDAA73 (#BDAA73)
#BDAA73 is a yellow color (colour) with RGB channel values of 189 red, 170 green, and 115 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 45 degrees with 36% saturation and 60% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BDAA73 is 169/255 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, 10% magenta, 39% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BDAA73 against white is 2.29:1 and against black is 9.16:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 9.16:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #7487BE creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BDAA73. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BE8774 and #ABBE74, 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 #BDAA73
- 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 #BDAA73?
- #BDAA73 is Color #BDAA73, a yellow color (colour) with RGB(189, 170, 115), HSL(45, 36%, 60%), and CMYK(0%, 10%, 39%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 169/255.
- Is #BDAA73 accessible for text?
- Against white, #BDAA73 has a contrast ratio of 2.29:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 9.16:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BDAA73?
- The complementary colour is #7487BE (hue 225). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BE8774 and #ABBE74. The triadic palette adds #74BEAB and #AB74BE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BDAA73 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bdaa73; or rgb(189, 170, 115); or hsl(45, 36%, 60%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 45 36% 60%; 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.