Color #BFAD40 Color / Colour Code #BFAD40
This page shows the hex color code for color #bfad40 (#BFAD40). The colour is a yellow tone with 50% saturation and 50% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BFAD40 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BFAD40 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 21, 51, and 81 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 51, 171, and 291 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BFAD40
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 51 and saturation at 50%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 51 to 96 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 51 with its complement at 231 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 #BFAD40
Lightness variations at hue 51 and 50% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BFAD40
Design Use Cases for #BFAD40
Balanced UI Color
At 50% saturation, #BFAD40 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 50% lightness, #BFAD40 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
#BFAD40 is in the yellow spectrum (hue 51). 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 #BFAD40 (hue 51) to its complement at hue 231. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 81. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bfad40, #4053bf);
CSS Code for #BFAD40
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BFAD40 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BFAD40 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BFAD40 (#BFAD40)
#BFAD40 is a yellow color (colour) with RGB channel values of 191 red, 173 green, and 64 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.0:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 51 degrees with 50% saturation and 50% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BFAD40 is 166/255 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, 9% magenta, 66% yellow, and 25% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BFAD40 against white is 2.27:1 and against black is 9.27:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 9.27:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #4053BF creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BFAD40. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BF6C40 and #93BF40, 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 #BFAD40
- 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 #BFAD40?
- #BFAD40 is Color #BFAD40, a yellow color (colour) with RGB(191, 173, 64), HSL(51, 50%, 50%), and CMYK(0%, 9%, 66%, 25%). Its perceived brightness is 166/255.
- Is #BFAD40 accessible for text?
- Against white, #BFAD40 has a contrast ratio of 2.27:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 9.27:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BFAD40?
- The complementary colour is #4053BF (hue 231). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BF6C40 and #93BF40. The triadic palette adds #40BFAC and #AC40BF for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BFAD40 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bfad40; or rgb(191, 173, 64); or hsl(51, 50%, 50%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 51 50% 50%; 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.