#856D4E
Closest named color: Dull Brown (#876E4B). oklch(55% 0.054 73.4), rgb(133, 109, 78).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (4.88:1).
About this color
#856D4E is a medium-dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 55%, its chroma 0.054 and its hue 73°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dull Brown (#876E4B), ΔE 0.006 away. White text reads best on it, at 4.88:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | medium-dark (55%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.054) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dull Brown (#876E4B) |
| Black text | 4.29:1 |
| White text | 4.88:1 |
Values
| HEX | #856D4E |
| RGB | rgb(133, 109, 78) |
| HSL | hsl(34, 26%, 41%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(55% 0.054 73.4) |
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 #856D4E | 4.88:1 | AA | Lc -79.3 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #856D4E | 4.29:1 | AA large text | Lc 30.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #856D4E text on white | 4.88:1 | AA | Lc 73.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #856D4E text on black | 4.29:1 | AA large text | Lc -27.8 | 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
#EDE9E5
oklch(93.6% 0.007 67.7)
-
Step 200
200
#DFD8D0
oklch(88.6% 0.013 71.3)
-
Step 300
300
#CABFB0
oklch(81% 0.024 75.8)
-
Step 400
400
#B09D86
oklch(70.6% 0.039 72.4)
-
Step 500
500
#9C8568
oklch(63% 0.05 73.2)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#856D4E
oklch(55% 0.054 73.4)
-
Step 700
700
#725D40
oklch(49.2% 0.051 75.1)
-
Step 800
800
#5D4C35
oklch(42.8% 0.042 74.7)
-
Step 900
900
#4C3F2E
oklch(37.6% 0.033 74)
-
Step 950
950
#2D251B
oklch(27% 0.021 72.9)
#856D4E 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) | #766E4C | 0.025 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7C734F | 0.021 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8E6765 | 0.046 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #717171 | 0.054 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #856D4E
#856D4E
oklch(55% 0.054 73.4)
- #5B7491
#5B7491
oklch(55.1% 0.054 252.5)
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 #856D4E, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dull Brown #876E4B ΔE 0.006
- Grey Brown #7F7053 ΔE 0.012
- Dirt #8A6E45 ΔE 0.015
- Dark Taupe #7F684E ΔE 0.018
- Dirt Brown #836539 ΔE 0.029
- Cocoa #875F42 ΔE 0.037
- Mocha #9D7651 ΔE 0.050
- Sepia #985E2B ΔE 0.051
Use #856D4E 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.