Ocher Color
Ocher is a yellow color with hex code #BF9B0C. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with ocher, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Ocher Color Values
What Does Ocher Mean?
Ocher belongs to the yellow family of colors. Yellow is the brightest thing in daylight, which makes it impossible to ignore and easy to overdo. School buses and hazard tape exist to exploit that visibility. In artwork, small amounts of yellow energize a piece; large fields of it tire the eye surprisingly fast. Ocher sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Ocher is classified as a yellow (nearest centroid: deep yellow, #AF8D13).
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Ocher
Ocher and #0C30C0 are complements, parked opposite each other on the wheel. Together they hit maximum contrast, so a rough 70/30 split keeps the pairing from shouting.
Analogous neighbors — #C0420C and #8AC00C, which sit beside ocher on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair ocher with triadic partners #0CC09C and #9C0CC0. All three sit evenly spaced around the wheel, so the scheme stays lively without clashing.
Build and test these combinations in our Color Wheel Tool or check text readability with the Contrast Checker.
Tints and Shades
Tints (lighter)
Shades (darker)
Similar Colors
- Yellow Brown —
#B79400(Delta E 3) - Buddha Gold —
#C1A004(Delta E 3) - Ocre —
#C69C04(Delta E 3) - Dark Gold —
#B59410(Delta E 4) - Brown Yellow —
#B29705(Delta E 5)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #BF9B0C; }
.background { background-color: #BF9B0C; }
.border { border: 2px solid #BF9B0C; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #BF9B0C40; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for ocher?
Ocher has the hex code #BF9B0C. In RGB notation it is rgb(191, 155, 12), in HSL it is hsl(48, 88%, 40%), and its OKLCH value is 0.702, 0.142, 91.8.
What does the color ocher mean?
Yellow-family colors like ocher carry distinct psychological associations. Ocher belongs to the yellow family of colors. Yellow is the brightest thing in daylight, which makes it impossible to ignore and easy to overdo. School buses and hazard tape exist to exploit that visibility. In artwork, small amounts of yellow energize a piece; large fields of it tire the eye surprisingly fast. Ocher sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with ocher?
Ocher has three easy routes: its complement #0C30C0 for punch, its neighbors #C0420C and #8AC00C for something calmer, or triadic partners #0CC09C and #9C0CC0 when you want energy.
Is ocher a standard web color?
No — Ocher is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #BF9B0C or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make ocher lighter or darker?
To lighten ocher, add white to create tints; to darken it, add black to create shades. The tints and shades table above shows five computed steps of each, from #FCF3CF (lightest tint) to #221B02 (darkest shade).
About Ocher
Ocher is classified as a Yellow in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Yellow hue family. It has The color is recognized by XKCD.
Use our Color Converter to convert #BF9B0C to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.