Brown #A52A2A
Brown is a medium-dark, vivid red with hex code #A52A2A and RGB rgb(165, 42, 42).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (7.08:1).
About this color
#A52A2A is a medium-dark, vivid red. In OKLCH its lightness is 48%, its chroma 0.160 and its hue 26°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. It is the named color Brown. White text reads best on it, at 7.08:1.
| Hue family | Reds |
| Lightness | medium-dark (48%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.160) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Brown |
| Black text | 2.96:1 |
| White text | 7.08:1 |
Colors that go with Brown
Matches found by rotating Brown around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Brown
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Brown, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Brown, with their ΔE distance.
- Brick #A03623 ΔE 0.024
- Rufous #AE2012 ΔE 0.024
- Firebrick #B22222 ΔE 0.026
- Auburn #9B2226 ΔE 0.026
- Rust Red #AA2704 ΔE 0.027
- Burnt Red #9F2305 ΔE 0.031
- Rusty Red #AF2F0D ΔE 0.034
- Rouge #AB1239 ΔE 0.037
More about Brown
How to make Brown
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 4 parts red
- 1 part green
Recipe result: #9F3433, a difference of ΔE 0.017 from Brown. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Brown in every format
| HEX | #A52A2A |
| RGB | rgb(165, 42, 42) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 59%, 41%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(48.1% 0.16 25.6) |
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 #A52A2A | 7.08:1 | AAA | Lc -88.3 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #A52A2A | 2.96:1 | Fails | Lc 20.7 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #A52A2A text on white | 7.08:1 | AAA | Lc 83.3 | Fine for body text |
| #A52A2A text on black | 2.96:1 | Fails | Lc -18.6 | Dividers and decoration only |
Shades and tints of Brown
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
#FCF3F2
oklch(97.1% 0.01 25.1)
-
Step 100
100
#F9E5E2
oklch(93.7% 0.022 27.8)
-
Step 200
200
#F4CFCB
oklch(88.5% 0.042 25.3)
-
Step 300
300
#EFAEA7
oklch(81% 0.077 25.8)
-
Step 400
400
#E38078
oklch(70.6% 0.124 25.5)
-
Step 500
500
#D85C56
oklch(63.1% 0.158 25.4)
-
Step 600
600
#C43D3B
oklch(55.6% 0.172 25.4)
-
Step 700
700 (this color)
#A52A2A
oklch(48.1% 0.16 25.6)
-
Step 800
800
#892826
oklch(42.7% 0.132 25.7)
-
Step 900
900
#6E2623
oklch(37.6% 0.103 25.7)
-
Step 950
950
#411715
oklch(26.9% 0.066 25.2)
Brown 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) | #4E4729 | 0.173 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #6D6226 | 0.158 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B6002C | 0.042 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #585858 | 0.161 |
Use Brown 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.