Color #DCA99E Color / Colour Code #DCA99E
This page shows the hex color code for color #dca99e (#DCA99E). The colour is a red tone with 47% saturation and 74% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #DCA99E against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#DCA99E paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 341, 11, and 41 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 11, 131, and 251 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #DCA99E
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 11 and saturation at 47%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 11 to 56 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 11 with its complement at 191 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 #DCA99E
Lightness variations at hue 11 and 47% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #DCA99E
Design Use Cases for #DCA99E
Balanced UI Color
At 47% saturation, #DCA99E 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.
Light Background Tint
#DCA99E at 74% lightness creates a gentle tinted background. Use it for section backgrounds, alert banners, or card surfaces that need to stand out from a white page without strong contrast. It adds color personality while keeping the design light and open.
Urgency & Energy Signaling
#DCA99E falls in the red spectrum (hue 11). Red triggers urgency and excitement, making it effective for sale badges, countdown timers, error messages, and "limited time" labels. In data visualization, use it to flag negative values or critical thresholds.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #DCA99E (hue 11) to its complement at hue 191. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 41. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #dca99e, #9ed0dc);
CSS Code for #DCA99E
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #DCA99E based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #DCA99E across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #DCA99E (#DCA99E)
#DCA99E is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 220 red, 169 green, and 158 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 11 degrees with 47% saturation and 74% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #DCA99E is 183/255 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, 23% magenta, 28% yellow, and 14% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #DCA99E against white is 2.06:1 and against black is 10.21:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 10.21:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #9ED0DC creates maximum visual tension when paired with #DCA99E. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #DC9EB1 and #DCC89E, 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 #DCA99E
- 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 #DCA99E?
- #DCA99E is Color #DCA99E, a red color (colour) with RGB(220, 169, 158), HSL(11, 47%, 74%), and CMYK(0%, 23%, 28%, 14%). Its perceived brightness is 183/255.
- Is #DCA99E accessible for text?
- Against white, #DCA99E has a contrast ratio of 2.06:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 10.21:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #DCA99E?
- The complementary colour is #9ED0DC (hue 191). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #DC9EB1 and #DCC89E. The triadic palette adds #9EDCA9 and #A99EDC for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #DCA99E in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #dca99e; or rgb(220, 169, 158); or hsl(11, 47%, 74%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 11 47% 74%; 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.