#C9A86AGinger Ale (#C9A86A) is a light, soft yellow with an OKLCH hue of 82°, lightness 0.75 and chroma 0.089. 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 | #C9A86A |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(201, 168, 106) |
| HSL | hsl(39, 47%, 60%) |
| HSV | hsv(39, 47%, 79%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 16%, 47%, 21%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(70.5 4 36.4) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.747 0.089 82) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Ginger Ale shifts subtly: drifts toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#cea361 — ΔE 1.4, shifts subtly: drifts toward orange#cfa867 — ΔE 0.9, shifts subtly: drifts toward orange#c9a86a — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#c9a96c — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Ginger Ale 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 2.26:1 and against black 9.29:1, 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.
#fff0d5 · #e4c58b · #c9a86a · #947841 · #6e5523 · #493402
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.
#d2d9a5 · #cdc185 · #c9a86a · #be9062 · #ae7b5e · #9b685b
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.
#c9a86a · #839579 · #876c3a · #3f5f29 · #4c3500 · #17260d
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.
#d9cfbd · #c9a86a · #516da1 · #5a4a2c · #3b2d13 · #1c1405
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#edf2fa · #c9a86a · #979185 · #55585d · #292318 · #000103
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.
#edf2fc · #c3c9d5 · #959ca9 · #1a2231 · #01030e · #c9a86a
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#cad7b3 · #c9a86a · #81a371 · #734ccf · #2d365e · #18051b
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#b6e0ce · #c9a86a · #8b8ed2 · #617e8c · #2c374c · #0d1004
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#def8fa · #c9a86a · #589fa4 · #6f4675 · #341539 · #000203
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e1f8f0 · #c9a86a · #61a08d · #3c5689 · #3e1127 · #00000a
#D2B57F · #DAC193 · #E3CEA7 · #ECDABB · #F5E7CF
#A68951 · #856B39 · #654E21 · #473309 · #291B00
#C3A97A · #BDAB89 · #B7AC97
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.