#A38979
Closest named color: Warm Grey (#978A84). oklch(65% 0.039 53.4), rgb(163, 137, 121).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (6.41:1).
About this color
#A38979 is a medium-light, muted orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 65%, its chroma 0.039 and its hue 53°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Warm Grey (#978A84), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 6.41:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | medium-light (65%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.039) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Warm Grey (#978A84) |
| Black text | 6.41:1 |
| White text | 3.27:1 |
Values
| HEX | #A38979 |
| RGB | rgb(163, 137, 121) |
| HSL | hsl(23, 19%, 56%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(65% 0.039 53.4) |
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 #A38979 | 3.27:1 | AA large text | Lc -65.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #A38979 | 6.41:1 | AA | Lc 44.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #A38979 text on white | 3.27:1 | AA large text | Lc 60.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #A38979 text on black | 6.41:1 | AA | Lc -41.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
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 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F7F5F4
oklch(97.1% 0.003 48.7)
-
Step 100
100
#EDE9E6
oklch(93.6% 0.006 59.6)
-
Step 200
200
#DFD7D3
oklch(88.4% 0.01 48.6)
-
Step 300
300
#CBBEB5
oklch(81% 0.019 57.2)
-
Step 400
400
#B19C8F
oklch(70.8% 0.031 53.8)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#A38979
oklch(65% 0.039 53.4)
-
Step 600
600
#886D5C
oklch(55.6% 0.043 53.8)
-
Step 700
700
#735B4C
oklch(49.1% 0.039 53.6)
-
Step 800
800
#5E4A3E
oklch(42.7% 0.033 52.5)
-
Step 900
900
#4D3E35
oklch(37.7% 0.026 52.6)
-
Step 950
950
#2D241F
oklch(26.9% 0.016 50.7)
#A38979 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) | #908B78 | 0.030 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #969079 | 0.027 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #AB8485 | 0.029 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #8E8E8E | 0.039 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #A38979
#A38979
oklch(65% 0.039 53.4)
- #7894A4
#7894A4
oklch(65.1% 0.04 233.2)
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 #A38979, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Warm Grey #978A84 ΔE 0.022
- Pale Brown #B1916E ΔE 0.038
- English Lavender #9D8189 ΔE 0.039
- Brown Grey #8D8468 ΔE 0.045
- Puce #A57E52 ΔE 0.050
- Dark Beige #AC9362 ΔE 0.050
- Light Brown #AD8150 ΔE 0.050
- Dark Sand #A88F59 ΔE 0.051
Use #A38979 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.