What color is #B9A38A?

#B9A38A is a light, desaturated orange, closest to the named color Sesame. It belongs to the brown family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #B9A38A?

The RGB value is 185, 163, 138: 185 red, 163 green and 138 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #B9A38A?

The complementary color is #8AA0B9, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #B9A38A?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 8.67:1 and white text 2.42:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#B9A38A color

#B9A38A rgb(185, 163, 138)

Shades of brown

The hex color #B9A38A is a light, desaturated orange.

In the RGB color model it is made of 72.5% red, 63.9% green and 54.1% blue (185, 163, 138).

Its hue angle is 32°, with 25% saturation and 63% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 12% magenta, 25% yellow and 27% black.

The closest named color is Sesame (#BAA38B), a difference of 0.7 ΔE, which is barely visible.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 8.67:1).

#B9A38A color codes

HEX	`#B9A38A`
RGB	`rgb(185, 163, 138)`
RGB percent	`rgb(72.5%, 63.9%, 54.1%)`
HSL	`hsl(32, 25%, 63%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(32, 25%, 73%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 12%, 25%, 27%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(68.27, 4.1, 15.95)`
CIE LCH	`lch(68.27, 16.47, 75.6)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(37.692, 38.345, 29.456)`
Decimal	`12166026`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #B9A38A, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #B9A38A	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	8.67:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	2.42:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

#B9A38A as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	2.42:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	8.67:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #B9A38A looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #b9a38a; }
.text { color: #b9a38a; }
.border { border: 2px solid #b9a38a; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(185 163 138 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #b9a38a, #b8b98a); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Light Brown.

Questions

What color is #B9A38A?: #B9A38A is a light, desaturated orange, closest to the named color Sesame. It belongs to the brown family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #B9A38A?: The RGB value is 185, 163, 138: 185 red, 163 green and 138 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #B9A38A?: The complementary color is #8AA0B9, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #B9A38A?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 8.67:1 and white text 2.42:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.