#a38c21
a dark, vivid yellow · warm · closest name: Dark Goldenrod
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #a38c21 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Every format
| HEX | #a38c21 |
| RGB | rgb(163, 140, 33) |
| HSL | hsl(49, 66%, 38%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 14%, 80%, 36%) |
| LAB | lab(58.6 -2.5 55.8) |
| LCH | lch(58.6 55.8 92.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.643 0.122 96.2) |
| Decimal | 10718241 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.639 0.549 0.129) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #a38c21;
background-color: #a38c21;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#a38c21] bg-[#a38c21]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #a38c21;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.639, green: 0.549, blue: 0.129)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#a38c21")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFA38C21)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(33, 140, 163)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #a38c21 is pinned to step 700; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #FBFAF3;
--brand-100: #F8F5E8;
--brand-200: #F1EACB;
--brand-300: #ECDFA2;
--brand-400: #E3CF73;
--brand-500: #D9BF44;
--brand-600: #CCAF29;
--brand-700: #a38c21;
--brand-800: #88751B;
--brand-900: #635518;
--brand-950: #3E350F;
--brand: #a38c21;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #a38c21
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
How to use #a38c21
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Headings from 24px up on white
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Headers, footers and dark-mode surfaces
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Small text on white — under 4.5:1
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠Black text placed on it
- ⚠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 | #2138A3 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #A34B21 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #79A321 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #2179A3 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #4B21A3 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #21A38C | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #8C21A3 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #21A34B | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#a38c21 text on a black background
contrast 6.33:1
#a38c21 text on a white background
contrast 3.32:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #a38c21;
background-color: #a38c21;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #a38c21;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(163, 140, 33, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(163, 140, 33, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #a38c21; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #a38c21, #63A321);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #a38c21
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.
Closest color with a full write-up: Olive (#808000) — ΔE2000 9.1 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#a38c21 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
#a38c21, answered
What color is #a38c21?
#a38c21 is a dark vivid yellow, closest to Dark Goldenrod (ΔE2000 8). It sits at 49° on the hue wheel with 66% saturation and 38% lightness, which reads as warm.
What is the RGB value of #a38c21?
rgb(163, 140, 33) — 163 red, 140 green and 33 blue out of 255, or 63.9% / 54.9% / 12.9% by channel.
Is #a38c21 a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.2665 and perceived brightness is 55%, so black text on it reaches 6.33:1.
Should I use black or white text on #a38c21?
Black. It scores 6.33:1 against #a38c21, versus 3.32:1 for white — AA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #a38c21?
#2138A3 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #2179A3 and #4B21A3, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #a38c21?
For interface work: #FAF9F4 as the surface, #EDE5C0 for borders, #9B8D4B for secondary text, #1D58A7 as an accent and #6A5B15 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #A34B21 and #79A321 stays calm, while #2138A3 is the loudest partner.
What is #a38c21 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(0%, 14%, 80%, 36%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #a38c21 warm or cool?
Warm — it scores 16 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #A36B21; nudged cooler, #8BA51F.