#856541
Closest named color: Dirt Brown (#836539). oklch(53.1% 0.066 68.9), rgb(133, 101, 65).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (5.33:1).
About this color
#856541 is a medium-dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 53%, its chroma 0.066 and its hue 69°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dirt Brown (#836539), ΔE 0.011 away. White text reads best on it, at 5.33:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | medium-dark (53%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.066) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dirt Brown (#836539) |
| Black text | 3.93:1 |
| White text | 5.33:1 |
Values
| HEX | #856541 |
| RGB | rgb(133, 101, 65) |
| HSL | hsl(32, 34%, 39%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(53.1% 0.066 68.9) |
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 #856541 | 5.33:1 | AA | Lc -81.8 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #856541 | 3.93:1 | AA large text | Lc 27.6 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #856541 text on white | 5.33:1 | AA | Lc 76.5 | Fine for body text |
| #856541 text on black | 3.93:1 | AA large text | Lc -25.3 | Dividers and decoration only |
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 600.
-
Step 50
50
#F7F5F3
oklch(97.1% 0.003 67.8)
-
Step 100
100
#EEE9E4
oklch(93.7% 0.009 67.7)
-
Step 200
200
#E1D7CE
oklch(88.5% 0.016 64.6)
-
Step 300
300
#CEBEAD
oklch(81% 0.03 69.1)
-
Step 400
400
#B49C81
oklch(70.7% 0.047 70.2)
-
Step 500
500
#A28362
oklch(63.1% 0.06 68.1)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#856541
oklch(53.1% 0.066 68.9)
-
Step 700
700
#785A39
oklch(49.1% 0.062 68.2)
-
Step 800
800
#614A30
oklch(42.7% 0.05 69.2)
-
Step 900
900
#4F3E2A
oklch(37.7% 0.04 70.7)
-
Step 950
950
#2F2419
oklch(27% 0.025 66.4)
#856541 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) | #70673E | 0.036 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #776E42 | 0.033 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8F5D5C | 0.054 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #6B6B6B | 0.066 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #856541
#856541
oklch(53.1% 0.066 68.9)
- #4D6F91
#4D6F91
oklch(53% 0.067 249.2)
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 #856541, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dirt Brown #836539 ΔE 0.011
- Cocoa #875F42 ΔE 0.017
- Dark Taupe #7F684E ΔE 0.018
- Dull Brown #876E4B ΔE 0.025
- Dirt #8A6E45 ΔE 0.027
- Grey Brown #7F7053 ΔE 0.032
- Sepia #985E2B ΔE 0.038
- Muddy Brown #886806 ΔE 0.050
Use #856541 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.