#BDB76BDark Khaki (#BDB76B) is a light, soft yellow with an OKLCH hue of 105°, lightness 0.77 and chroma 0.098. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #BDB76B |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(189, 183, 107) |
| HSL | hsl(56, 38%, 58%) |
| HSV | hsv(56, 43%, 74%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 3%, 43%, 26%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(73.4 -8.8 39.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.767 0.098 105) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Dark Khaki shifts subtly: leans toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.5), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#c4b261 — ΔE 1.5, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#c3b767 — ΔE 0.9, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#bdb76b — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#bdb86d — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Dark Khaki in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 2.07:1 and against black 10.15:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#faf5b6 · #d2cd85 · #bdb76b · #857f3d · #605b1e · #3e3900
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#c3e6b4 · #bed08f · #bdb76b · #b89e5c · #ae8653 · #a0714f
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#bdb76b · #7c9e88 · #7e793c · #1d6a43 · #464100 · #0a2d1b
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#d9d8c2 · #bdb76b · #96946d · #5e5b99 · #393616 · #1c1b07
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#f0f1fb · #bdb76b · #99988b · #5a5b61 · #272619 · #010103
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#f0f1fc · #c7c8d5 · #9a9baa · #212133 · #030210 · #bdb76b
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#bcdcc1 · #bdb76b · #b74fc9 · #527552 · #283964 · #1f0510
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#f0f0ff · #bdb76b · #769ac7 · #6f4981 · #01254c · #030006
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e0f6ff · #bdb76b · #5ea2bc · #814368 · #40102f · #00050b
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#dcf8f8 · #bdb76b · #57a7a6 · #565290 · #450e18 · #01000a
#C6C280 · #D0CC93 · #DAD7A7 · #E4E1BB · #EEECCE
#9B9651 · #7B7638 · #5C571F · #3E3A05 · #221F00
#BBB77C · #B9B68C · #B7B59B
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.