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#dcb034

a balanced, vivid yellow · warm · closest name: Goldenrod

RGB
220, 176, 52
HSL
44°, 71%, 53%
CMYK
0, 20, 76, 14
Luminance
0.4651

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #dcb034 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#dcb034
Hue
44°
yellow
Saturation
71%
vivid
Lightness
53%
balanced
Brightness
86%
HSV value
Perceived
71%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.4651
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
12/100 cool
Color family
Yellow
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
10.30:1
Closest name
Goldenrod
ΔE2000 3.5
Where it sits
Hue44° of 360°
Saturation71%
Lightness53%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool12% cool

Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.

Every format

HEX#dcb034
RGBrgb(220, 176, 52)
HSLhsl(44, 71%, 53%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 20%, 76%, 14%)
LABlab(73.9 4.2 65.3)
LCHlch(73.9 65.4 86.3)
OKLCHoklch(0.776 0.143 88.1)
Decimal14463028
Display P3color(display-p3 0.863 0.690 0.204)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #dcb034;
background-color: #dcb034;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#dcb034] bg-[#dcb034]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #dcb034;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.863, green: 0.690, blue: 0.204)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#dcb034")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDCB034)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(52, 176, 220)

Best text color

Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.

Readable at a glance#000000 on #dcb034 · 10.30:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
White text · 2.04:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 10.30:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #dcb034 as text scores 2.04:1 on white and 10.30:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#dcb034 on white: 2.04:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#dcb034 on black: 10.30:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #C5AF1D
deuteranopia · #D0BB3B
tritanopia · #EFA098

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #dcb034 is pinned to step 500; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#FCF9F3
#F8F4E7
#F2E8C9
#EFDA9F
#E6C76F
#dcb034
#D1A424
#AE881E
#8B6D18
#655015
#3F320D
Base = 500Lightest = 50 · #FCF9F3Darkest = 950 · #3F320D
:root {
  --brand-50: #FCF9F3;
  --brand-100: #F8F4E7;
  --brand-200: #F2E8C9;
  --brand-300: #EFDA9F;
  --brand-400: #E6C76F;
  --brand-500: #dcb034;
  --brand-600: #D1A424;
  --brand-700: #AE881E;
  --brand-800: #8B6D18;
  --brand-900: #655015;
  --brand-950: #3F320D;
  --brand: #dcb034;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #dcb034

Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.

Text on it#000000
Black wins here
Surface#FAF9F4
Tinted page background
Border#EDE1C0
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B864B
Captions on the surface
Accent#2F8AE1
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#6D5513
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FBF7E9
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#242014
Dark-mode background
Light mode
Everything in its place

Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.

Primary actionSecondaryBadge
Dark mode
Same hue, inverted

Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.

Primary actionSecondaryAccent

How to use #dcb034

Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.

Works well for
  • Text and icons on dark surfaces
  • Primary buttons and calls to action
  • Focus rings, active and selected states
  • Brand accents, badges and data highlights
Use with care
  • Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
  • Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
  • Thin strokes and 1px borders — they disappear on light UI
  • Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate

Similar colors

One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.

Color relationships

The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.

Complementary#3460DC
Analogous left#DC5C34
Analogous right#B4DC34
Split-complement 1#34B4DC
Split-complement 2#5C34DC
Triadic 1#34DCB0
Triadic 2#B034DC
Tetradic#34DC5C

RGB percentages

Red86.3%
Green69.0%
Blue20.4%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta20.0%
Yellow76.4%
Key (black)13.7%

Color previews

#dcb034 text on a black background

contrast 10.30:1

Card sample

#dcb034 text on a white background

contrast 2.04:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #dcb034;
Background color
Panel with #dcb034 background
background-color: #dcb034;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #dcb034;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(220, 176, 52, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(220, 176, 52, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #dcb034;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #dcb034, #98DC34);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #dcb034

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

Color harmonies

Nearest named colors

Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.

#dcb034 in the real world

Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.

Industries
RetailLeisureEnergyWarning systems
Common UI roles
ButtonsLinksFocus statesCharts
Print note

Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.

#dcb034, answered

What color is #dcb034?

#dcb034 is a balanced vivid yellow, closest to Goldenrod (ΔE2000 3.5). It sits at 44° on the hue wheel with 71% saturation and 53% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #dcb034?

rgb(220, 176, 52) — 220 red, 176 green and 52 blue out of 255, or 86.3% / 69% / 20.4% by channel.

Is #dcb034 a light or a dark color?

It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.4651 and perceived brightness is 71%, so black text on it reaches 10.30:1.

Should I use black or white text on #dcb034?

Black. It scores 10.30:1 against #dcb034, versus 2.04:1 for white — AAA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #dcb034?

#3460DC sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #34B4DC and #5C34DC, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #dcb034?

For interface work: #FAF9F4 as the surface, #EDE1C0 for borders, #9B864B for secondary text, #2F8AE1 as an accent and #6D5513 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #DC5C34 and #B4DC34 stays calm, while #3460DC is the loudest partner.

What is #dcb034 in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 20%, 76%, 14%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #dcb034 warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 12 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #DC9134; nudged cooler, #CCDE31.

Work with #dcb034 in the Color Lab