#856E38
Closest named color: Dirt (#8A6E45). oklch(54.8% 0.078 86.6), rgb(133, 110, 56).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (4.90:1).
About this color
#856E38 is a medium-dark, moderately saturated brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 55%, its chroma 0.078 and its hue 87°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dirt (#8A6E45), ΔE 0.019 away. White text reads best on it, at 4.90:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | medium-dark (55%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.078) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dirt (#8A6E45) |
| Black text | 4.28:1 |
| White text | 4.90:1 |
Values
| HEX | #856E38 |
| RGB | rgb(133, 110, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(42, 41%, 37%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(54.8% 0.078 86.6) |
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 #856E38 | 4.90:1 | AA | Lc -79.3 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #856E38 | 4.28:1 | AA large text | Lc 30.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #856E38 text on white | 4.90:1 | AA | Lc 73.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #856E38 text on black | 4.28:1 | 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
#F7F5F2
oklch(97.1% 0.005 78.3)
-
Step 100
100
#EDE9E2
oklch(93.5% 0.01 81.8)
-
Step 200
200
#DFD9CB
oklch(88.6% 0.02 87.5)
-
Step 300
300
#CAC0A7
oklch(80.9% 0.036 88.8)
-
Step 400
400
#B09F79
oklch(70.8% 0.056 86.7)
-
Step 500
500
#9C8756
oklch(63.1% 0.071 87.2)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#856E38
oklch(54.8% 0.078 86.6)
-
Step 700
700
#735E2C
oklch(49.2% 0.073 86.7)
-
Step 800
800
#5D4D26
oklch(42.7% 0.06 87.5)
-
Step 900
900
#4C4023
oklch(37.7% 0.047 87.7)
-
Step 950
950
#2D2615
oklch(27.1% 0.03 88)
#856E38 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) | #796D33 | 0.022 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7F733A | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8F6662 | 0.071 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #717171 | 0.078 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #856E38
#856E38
oklch(54.8% 0.078 86.6)
- #5C709F
#5C709F
oklch(54.9% 0.078 266.2)
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 #856E38, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dirt #8A6E45 ΔE 0.019
- Dull Brown #876E4B ΔE 0.024
- Dirt Brown #836539 ΔE 0.027
- Grey Brown #7F7053 ΔE 0.032
- Muddy Brown #886806 ΔE 0.033
- Dark Taupe #7F684E ΔE 0.038
- Hazel #8E7618 ΔE 0.041
- Raw Sienna #9A6200 ΔE 0.047
Use #856E38 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.