#856E41
Closest named color: Dirt (#8A6E45). oklch(55% 0.069 83.2), rgb(133, 110, 65).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (4.87:1).
About this color
#856E41 is a medium-dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 55%, its chroma 0.069 and its hue 83°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dirt (#8A6E45), ΔE 0.010 away. White text reads best on it, at 4.87:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | medium-dark (55%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.069) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dirt (#8A6E45) |
| Black text | 4.30:1 |
| White text | 4.87:1 |
Values
| HEX | #856E41 |
| RGB | rgb(133, 110, 65) |
| HSL | hsl(40, 34%, 39%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(55% 0.069 83.2) |
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 #856E41 | 4.87:1 | AA | Lc -79.2 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #856E41 | 4.30:1 | AA large text | Lc 30.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #856E41 text on white | 4.87:1 | AA | Lc 73.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #856E41 text on black | 4.30:1 | AA large text | Lc -27.9 | 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
#DFD8CD
oklch(88.5% 0.017 79.3)
-
Step 300
300
#CABFAB
oklch(80.8% 0.03 82.6)
-
Step 400
400
#B09E7E
oklch(70.7% 0.049 81.9)
-
Step 500
500
#9C865D
oklch(63% 0.063 82.6)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#856E41
oklch(55% 0.069 83.2)
-
Step 700
700
#725D34
oklch(49% 0.064 83)
-
Step 800
800
#5D4C2C
oklch(42.6% 0.053 82.3)
-
Step 900
900
#4C4028
oklch(37.7% 0.041 84)
-
Step 950
950
#2D2518
oklch(27% 0.025 79.4)
#856E41 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) | #786E3D | 0.023 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7E7442 | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #8F6763 | 0.060 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #717171 | 0.069 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #856E41
#856E41
oklch(55% 0.069 83.2)
- #5C719A
#5C719A
oklch(54.9% 0.069 263.3)
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 #856E41, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dirt #8A6E45 ΔE 0.010
- Dull Brown #876E4B ΔE 0.014
- Grey Brown #7F7053 ΔE 0.023
- Dirt Brown #836539 ΔE 0.025
- Dark Taupe #7F684E ΔE 0.030
- Muddy Brown #886806 ΔE 0.042
- Cocoa #875F42 ΔE 0.043
- Sepia #985E2B ΔE 0.049
Use #856E41 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.