#8A5538
Closest named color: Cocoa (#875F42). oklch(50.3% 0.082 48.8), rgb(138, 85, 56).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (6.10:1).
About this color
#8A5538 is a medium-dark, moderately saturated brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 50%, its chroma 0.082 and its hue 49°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cocoa (#875F42), ΔE 0.025 away. White text reads best on it, at 6.10:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | medium-dark (50%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.082) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Cocoa (#875F42) |
| Black text | 3.43:1 |
| White text | 6.10:1 |
Values
| HEX | #8A5538 |
| RGB | rgb(138, 85, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(21, 42%, 38%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(50.3% 0.082 48.8) |
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 #8A5538 | 6.10:1 | AA | Lc -85.5 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #8A5538 | 3.43:1 | AA large text | Lc 23.8 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #8A5538 text on white | 6.10:1 | AA | Lc 80.3 | Fine for body text |
| #8A5538 text on black | 3.43:1 | AA large text | Lc -21.5 | 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 700.
-
Step 50
50
#F9F4F2
oklch(97% 0.006 43.3)
-
Step 100
100
#F1E8E3
oklch(93.7% 0.012 51.3)
-
Step 200
200
#E6D5CD
oklch(88.5% 0.022 47)
-
Step 300
300
#D7BAAB
oklch(81% 0.039 49.1)
-
Step 400
400
#C2957E
oklch(70.6% 0.063 48.3)
-
Step 500
500
#B27B5D
oklch(63.2% 0.081 49.4)
-
Step 600
600
#9D6343
oklch(55.6% 0.088 49.1)
-
Step 700
700 (this color)
#8A5538
oklch(50.3% 0.082 48.8)
-
Step 800
800
#6D432C
oklch(42.7% 0.068 48.9)
-
Step 900
900
#593928
oklch(37.8% 0.053 48.6)
-
Step 950
950
#342118
oklch(26.9% 0.034 46.2)
#8A5538 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) | #645B36 | 0.069 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #706638 | 0.063 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #964B4E | 0.051 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #626262 | 0.083 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #8A5538
#8A5538
oklch(50.3% 0.082 48.8)
- #266D89
#266D89
oklch(50.3% 0.082 228.1)
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 #8A5538, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cocoa #875F42 ΔE 0.025
- Milk Chocolate #7F4E1E ΔE 0.038
- Sienna #A0522D ΔE 0.041
- Warm Brown #964E02 ΔE 0.041
- Sepia #985E2B ΔE 0.042
- Medium Brown #7F5112 ΔE 0.043
- Saddle Brown #8B4513 ΔE 0.044
- Dirt Brown #836539 ΔE 0.044
Use #8A5538 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.