Ochre Color
Ochre is a yellow color with hex code #BF9005. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with ochre, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Ochre Color Values
What Does Ochre Mean?
Ochre 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. Ochre sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Ochre is classified as a yellow (nearest centroid: deep yellow, #AF8D13). It is also known as Moutarde De Bénichon.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Ochre
Ochre and #0533BD 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 — #BD3305 and #8FBD05, which sit beside ochre on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair ochre with triadic partners #05BD8F and #8F05BD. 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
- Pizza —
#C99415(Delta E 3) - Nugget —
#C59922(Delta E 5) - DarkGoldenRod —
#B8860B(Delta E 6) - Yellow Brown —
#B79400(Delta E 6) - Ocre —
#C69C04(Delta E 6)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #BF9005; }
.background { background-color: #BF9005; }
.border { border: 2px solid #BF9005; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #BF900540; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for ochre?
Ochre has the hex code #BF9005. In RGB notation it is rgb(191, 144, 5), in HSL it is hsl(45, 95%, 38%), and its OKLCH value is 0.68, 0.138, 85.
What does the color ochre mean?
Yellow-family colors like ochre carry distinct psychological associations. Ochre 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. Ochre sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with ochre?
Ochre has three easy routes: its complement #0533BD for punch, its neighbors #BD3305 and #8FBD05 for something calmer, or triadic partners #05BD8F and #8F05BD when you want energy.
Is ochre a standard web color?
No — Ochre is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #BF9005 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make ochre lighter or darker?
To lighten ochre, 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 #FEF2CD (lightest tint) to #1E1701 (darkest shade).
About Ochre
Ochre is classified as a Yellow in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Yellow hue family. It has alternative names including Moutarde De Bénichon. The color is recognized by XKCD, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #BF9005 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.