#B5B217 Color

#B5B217 is rgb(181, 178, 23) in RGB, hsl(59, 77%, 40%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 2%, 87%, 29%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Acid Green (#B0BF1A), clearly related but distinguishable side by side at ΔE 9. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#B5B217

HEX#B5B217

RGBrgb(181, 178, 23)

HSLhsl(59, 77%, 40%)

HSVhsv(59, 87%, 71%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 2%, 87%, 29%)

OKLCHoklch(74.2% 0.156 108.4)

LABlab(71.04% -10.49 68.60)

LCHlch(71.04% 69.40 98.69)

What #B5B217 Is Called

Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #B5B217, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.

Acid Green#B0BF1AΔE 9 Citron#9FA91FΔE 9.03 Antique Gold#CFB53BΔE 12.87 Light Gold#B29700ΔE 14.32 Neon Gold#CFAA01ΔE 15.73 Gold (Metallic)#D4AF37ΔE 16.81

Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every yellow in the library.

#B5B217 Channel Values

How #B5B217 breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.

Model	Channels	Notes
RGB	R 181 · G 178 · B 23	8-bit channels as sent to the display
HSL	H 59° · S 77% · L 40%	Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSV	H 59° · S 87% · V 71%	Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYK	C 0% · M 2% · Y 87% · K 29%	Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance	2.25:1 vs white · 9.35:1 vs black	WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #B5B217 background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.

Fails AAWhite text2.25:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

TextBlack text9.35:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #B5B217 in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With #B5B217

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #B5B217; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.

Base

Complementary

Analogous

Analogous

Triadic

Triadic

Split comp.

Split comp.

Tints & Shades of #B5B217

Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.

Tints

Shades

Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #B5B217.

How #B5B217 Looks with Color Vision Deficiency

Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.

Typical#B5B217

Protanopia#B3B317

Protanomaly#B4B217

Deuteranopia#B3B316

Deuteranomaly#B4B316

Tritanopia#BEA8A8

Tritanomaly#BBAC86

Achromatopsia#ADADAD

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #B5B217 in Code

Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.

CSS custom property--color-b5b217: #B5B217;

CSS backgroundbackground-color: #B5B217;

Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-b5b217': '#B5B217' }

SwiftUIColor(red: 0.710, green: 0.698, blue: 0.090)

Android XML<color name="color_b5b217">#B5B217</color>

SVG fillfill="#B5B217"

More Yellow Colors

#B5B217 sits in the yellow family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

181807 fffff5 1b1404 fffff0 1f1f00 ffffeb 242400 ffffe5 2a2913 ffffe0 2b2003 ffffd6 573a00 856514 b0a94f cc9900 e0e000 edeae0 f2f1e3 f8f3c9 fcfce8 ffcc00 fff000 ffff0f

#B5B217 Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #B5B217?

#B5B217 is a mid-tone yellow — rgb(181, 178, 23) in RGB and hsl(59, 77%, 40%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Acid Green (#B0BF1A), which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side at a CIE76 distance of 9.

What is the RGB value of #B5B217?

#B5B217 is rgb(181, 178, 23) — red 181, green 178, and blue 23 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #B5B217?

#B5B217 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 2%, 87%, 29%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #B5B217 be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #B5B217 scores 2.25:1 against white and 9.35:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #B5B217 as a CSS color keyword?

No. #B5B217 is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is goldenrod (#DAA520) at a CIE76 distance of 22.69, which is visibly different.

Open #B5B217 in a Tool

Hex to RGB Hex to HSL Hex to CMYK Hex to OKLCH Hex to Pantone Build a palette Make a gradient

Keep exploring: every yellow in the color library, the guide to shades of yellow, or the full color library.