#856B38
Closest named color: Dirt Brown (#836539). oklch(54.2% 0.076 82.7), rgb(133, 107, 56).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (5.05:1).
About this color
#856B38 is a medium-dark, moderately saturated brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 54%, its chroma 0.076 and its hue 83°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dirt Brown (#836539), ΔE 0.018 away. White text reads best on it, at 5.05:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | medium-dark (54%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.076) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dirt Brown (#836539) |
| Black text | 4.15:1 |
| White text | 5.05:1 |
Values
| HEX | #856B38 |
| RGB | rgb(133, 107, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(40, 41%, 37%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(54.2% 0.076 82.7) |
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 #856B38 | 5.05:1 | AA | Lc -80.2 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #856B38 | 4.15:1 | AA large text | Lc 29.3 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #856B38 text on white | 5.05:1 | AA | Lc 74.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #856B38 text on black | 4.15:1 | AA large text | Lc -26.9 | 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
#F7F5F2
oklch(97.1% 0.005 78.3)
-
Step 100
100
#EDE9E3
oklch(93.5% 0.009 78.3)
-
Step 200
200
#DFD8CB
oklch(88.4% 0.019 83.1)
-
Step 300
300
#CCBFA8
oklch(80.9% 0.035 82)
-
Step 400
400
#B29E7A
oklch(70.8% 0.055 82.1)
-
Step 500
500
#9E8657
oklch(63.1% 0.07 83.5)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#856B38
oklch(54.2% 0.076 82.7)
-
Step 700
700
#745D2E
oklch(49.1% 0.071 83.5)
-
Step 800
800
#5F4C27
oklch(42.7% 0.059 82.7)
-
Step 900
900
#4E3F24
oklch(37.7% 0.046 81.3)
-
Step 950
950
#2D2516
oklch(26.9% 0.028 82.6)
#856B38 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) | #766B33 | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7D713A | 0.020 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8F635F | 0.067 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #6F6F6F | 0.076 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #856B38
#856B38
oklch(54.2% 0.076 82.7)
- #576F9C
#576F9C
oklch(54.2% 0.076 262.5)
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 #856B38, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dirt Brown #836539 ΔE 0.018
- Dirt #8A6E45 ΔE 0.019
- Dull Brown #876E4B ΔE 0.023
- Grey Brown #7F7053 ΔE 0.032
- Dark Taupe #7F684E ΔE 0.033
- Muddy Brown #886806 ΔE 0.033
- Cocoa #875F42 ΔE 0.040
- Sepia #985E2B ΔE 0.043
Use #856B38 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.