#CFB53BOld Gold (#CFB53B) is a light, saturated yellow with an OKLCH hue of 97°, lightness 0.77 and chroma 0.139. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as an accent color: strong in focal moments, dominant over large fields.
| HEX | #CFB53B |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(207, 181, 59) |
| HSL | hsl(49, 61%, 52%) |
| HSV | hsv(49, 71%, 81%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 13%, 71%, 19%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(74 -3.8 62.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.774 0.139 97) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Old Gold shifts subtly: leans toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.4), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#d5b031 — ΔE 1.4, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#d5b536 — ΔE 0.9, shifts subtly: leans toward orange#cfb53b — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#cfb63d — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Old Gold 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 2.03:1 and against black 10.33:1, 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.
#fff3bc · #cfb53b · #baa129 · #917c00 · #695800 · #433700
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.
#c6eb9d · #c9d16e · #cfb53b · #cc9933 · #c28038 · #b26941
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.
#cfb53b · #79a37f · #8d7800 · #00702c · #4d4000 · #013110
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.
#e0d9bb · #cfb53b · #a1945c · #4c52ab · #413600 · #221b00
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#eef1ff · #cfb53b · #9e9a87 · #5a5c65 · #2b2612 · #010104
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.
#eff1fd · #c5c8d6 · #989bab · #1f2233 · #020310 · #cfb53b
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#eef1ff · #cfb53b · #8893de · #4b51a9 · #1b185e · #080400
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#b0daeb · #cfb53b · #8ea5c1 · #7a4598 · #2b3a59 · #170a02
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#dcf7ff · #cfb53b · #2caac6 · #8b3779 · #46003a · #000407
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#d3fcf6 · #cfb53b · #27afa5 · #4b51a9 · #4d001d · #010011
#D6C05C · #DECB78 · #E5D691 · #EDE0A9 · #F5EBC1
#AB941F · #887300 · #655500 · #443900 · #261E00
#C9B65F · #C4B67A · #BEB692
Its chroma is high enough to carry accents, calls to action, and focal moments; large fields of it will dominate a composition. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.