#4E5238
Closest named color: Green Brown (#544E03). oklch(42.7% 0.041 115.3), rgb(78, 82, 56).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (8.11:1).
About this color
#4E5238 is a dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 43%, its chroma 0.041 and its hue 115°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Green Brown (#544E03), ΔE 0.048 away. White text reads best on it, at 8.11:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | dark (43%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.041) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Green Brown (#544E03) |
| Black text | 2.58:1 |
| White text | 8.11:1 |
Values
| HEX | #4E5238 |
| RGB | rgb(78, 82, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(69, 19%, 27%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(42.7% 0.041 115.3) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #4E5238 | 8.11:1 | AAA | Lc -92.7 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #4E5238 | 2.58:1 | Fails | Lc 15.9 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #4E5238 text on white | 8.11:1 | AAA | Lc 88.1 | Fine for body text |
| #4E5238 text on black | 2.58:1 | Fails | Lc -14.1 | Not readable |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 800.
-
Step 50
50
#F5F6F3
oklch(97.2% 0.004 121.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E9EAE5
oklch(93.5% 0.007 115.7)
-
Step 200
200
#D8DAD1
oklch(88.4% 0.012 116.8)
-
Step 300
300
#C0C3B1
oklch(81% 0.025 114.6)
-
Step 400
400
#9FA489
oklch(70.7% 0.038 115.9)
-
Step 500
500
#888D6C
oklch(63% 0.048 114.8)
-
Step 600
600
#727753
oklch(55.5% 0.053 114.6)
-
Step 700
700
#5F6444
oklch(49% 0.049 115.4)
-
Step 800
800 (this color)
#4E5238
oklch(42.7% 0.041 115.3)
-
Step 900
900
#414430
oklch(37.8% 0.033 114.9)
-
Step 950
950
#26281C
oklch(27.1% 0.021 115.5)
#4E5238 with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #564F36 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #555039 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #514F4B | 0.035 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #505050 | 0.041 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #4E5238
#4E5238
oklch(42.7% 0.041 115.3)
- #514B63
#514B63
oklch(42.8% 0.04 296.1)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #4E5238, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Green Brown #544E03 ΔE 0.048
- Mud Brown #60460F ΔE 0.051
- Pine #2B5D34 ΔE 0.056
- Dark Slate Gray #2F4F4F ΔE 0.056
- Olive Brown #645403 ΔE 0.058
- Army Green #4B5D16 ΔE 0.060
- Navy Green #35530A ΔE 0.068
- Dark Green Blue #1F6357 ΔE 0.069
Use #4E5238 in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.