Skip to content

#df9a2c

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

RGB
223, 154, 44
HSL
37°, 74%, 52%
CMYK
0, 31, 80, 13
Luminance
0.3898

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #df9a2c is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#df9a2c
Hue
37°
orange
Saturation
74%
vivid
Lightness
52%
balanced
Brightness
87%
HSV value
Perceived
67%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.3898
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
6/100 cool
Color family
Orange
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
8.80:1
Closest name
Goldenrod
ΔE2000 6.1
Where it sits
Hue37° of 360°
Saturation74%
Lightness52%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool6% 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#df9a2c
RGBrgb(223, 154, 44)
HSLhsl(37, 74%, 52%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 31%, 80%, 13%)
LABlab(68.7 16.9 63.5)
LCHlch(68.7 65.7 75.1)
OKLCHoklch(0.737 0.143 73.5)
Decimal14653996
Display P3color(display-p3 0.875 0.604 0.173)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #df9a2c;
background-color: #df9a2c;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#df9a2c] bg-[#df9a2c]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #df9a2c;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.875, green: 0.604, blue: 0.173)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#df9a2c")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDF9A2C)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(44, 154, 223)

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 #df9a2c · 8.80:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
White text · 2.39:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 8.80:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #df9a2c as text scores 2.39:1 on white and 8.80:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#df9a2c on white: 2.39:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#df9a2c on black: 8.80:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #B29E16
deuteranopia · #C3AE30
tritanopia · #F38885

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #df9a2c 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.

#FCF8F3
#F8F2E7
#F3E3C8
#F0D09E
#E9B96D
#df9a2c
#D58F20
#B1771B
#8E5F15
#674714
#402C0C
Base = 500Lightest = 50 · #FCF8F3Darkest = 950 · #402C0C
:root {
  --brand-50: #FCF8F3;
  --brand-100: #F8F2E7;
  --brand-200: #F3E3C8;
  --brand-300: #F0D09E;
  --brand-400: #E9B96D;
  --brand-500: #df9a2c;
  --brand-600: #D58F20;
  --brand-700: #B1771B;
  --brand-800: #8E5F15;
  --brand-900: #674714;
  --brand-950: #402C0C;
  --brand: #df9a2c;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #df9a2c

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#FAF8F4
Tinted page background
Border#EDDBC0
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B7C4B
Captions on the surface
Accent#177BB5
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#6F4B11
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FCF4E9
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#241E14
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 #df9a2c

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
  • 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#2C71DF
Analogous left#DF412C
Analogous right#CBDF2C
Split-complement 1#2CCBDF
Split-complement 2#412CDF
Triadic 1#2CDF9A
Triadic 2#9A2CDF
Tetradic#2CDF41

RGB percentages

Red87.5%
Green60.4%
Blue17.3%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta30.9%
Yellow80.3%
Key (black)12.5%

Color previews

#df9a2c text on a black background

contrast 8.80:1

Card sample

#df9a2c text on a white background

contrast 2.39:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #df9a2c;
Background color
Panel with #df9a2c background
background-color: #df9a2c;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #df9a2c;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(223, 154, 44, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(223, 154, 44, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #df9a2c;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #df9a2c, #ADDF2C);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #df9a2c

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.

#df9a2c in the real world

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

Industries
E-commerceFood deliveryLogisticsCreator tools
Common UI roles
ButtonsLinksFocus statesCharts
Print note

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

#df9a2c, answered

What color is #df9a2c?

#df9a2c is a balanced vivid orange, closest to Goldenrod (ΔE2000 6.1). It sits at 37° on the hue wheel with 74% saturation and 52% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #df9a2c?

rgb(223, 154, 44) — 223 red, 154 green and 44 blue out of 255, or 87.5% / 60.4% / 17.3% by channel.

Is #df9a2c a light or a dark color?

It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.3898 and perceived brightness is 67%, so black text on it reaches 8.80:1.

Should I use black or white text on #df9a2c?

Black. It scores 8.80:1 against #df9a2c, versus 2.39:1 for white — AAA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #df9a2c?

#2C71DF sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #2CCBDF and #412CDF, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #df9a2c?

For interface work: #FAF8F4 as the surface, #EDDBC0 for borders, #9B7C4B for secondary text, #177BB5 as an accent and #6F4B11 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #DF412C and #CBDF2C stays calm, while #2C71DF is the loudest partner.

What is #df9a2c in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 31%, 80%, 13%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #df9a2c warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 6 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #DF872C; nudged cooler, #E2DE2A.

Work with #df9a2c in the Color Lab