#542E20
Closest named color: Purple Brown (#673A3F). oklch(34.6% 0.061 40.8), rgb(84, 46, 32).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (11.74:1).
About this color
#542E20 is a dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 35%, its chroma 0.061 and its hue 41°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Purple Brown (#673A3F), ΔE 0.066 away. White text reads best on it, at 11.74:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | dark (35%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.061) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Purple Brown (#673A3F) |
| Black text | 1.78:1 |
| White text | 11.74:1 |
Values
| HEX | #542E20 |
| RGB | rgb(84, 46, 32) |
| HSL | hsl(16, 45%, 23%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(34.6% 0.061 40.8) |
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 #542E20 | 11.74:1 | AAA | Lc -100.4 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #542E20 | 1.78:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #542E20 text on white | 11.74:1 | AAA | Lc 96.7 | Preferred for body text |
| #542E20 text on black | 1.78:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | 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 900.
-
Step 50
50
#F9F4F2
oklch(97% 0.006 43.3)
-
Step 100
100
#F2E7E3
oklch(93.6% 0.013 41.2)
-
Step 200
200
#E9D4CD
oklch(88.5% 0.025 39.4)
-
Step 300
300
#DCB7AB
oklch(80.9% 0.046 38.8)
-
Step 400
400
#C9927E
oklch(70.8% 0.073 40.8)
-
Step 500
500
#BA765D
oklch(63.2% 0.094 40.9)
-
Step 600
600
#A55D43
oklch(55.6% 0.102 40.4)
-
Step 700
700
#8D4D35
oklch(49.2% 0.094 41)
-
Step 800
800
#733F2C
oklch(42.7% 0.079 40.6)
-
Step 900
900 (this color)
#542E20
oklch(34.6% 0.061 40.8)
-
Step 950
950
#372018
oklch(27.1% 0.039 39.9)
#542E20 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) | #38331F | 0.056 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #413B20 | 0.052 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #5C272B | 0.033 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #383838 | 0.061 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #542E20
#542E20
oklch(34.6% 0.061 40.8)
- #054050
#054050
oklch(34.5% 0.061 222.1)
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 #542E20, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Purple Brown #673A3F ΔE 0.066
- Chestnut #742802 ΔE 0.068
- Reddy Brown #6E1005 ΔE 0.070
- Charcoal Grey #3C4142 ΔE 0.072
- Onyx #343A40 ΔE 0.073
- Chocolate Brown #411900 ΔE 0.078
- Claret #680018 ΔE 0.081
- Mud Brown #60460F ΔE 0.083
Use #542E20 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.