Terracotta #CA6641
Terracotta is a medium-light, moderately saturated orange with hex code #CA6641 and RGB rgb(202, 102, 65).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.48:1).
About this color
#CA6641 is a medium-light, moderately saturated orange. In OKLCH its lightness is 62%, its chroma 0.137 and its hue 40°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. It is the named color Terracotta. Black text reads best on it, at 5.48:1.
| Hue family | Oranges |
| Lightness | medium-light (62%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.137) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Terracotta |
| Black text | 5.48:1 |
| White text | 3.82:1 |
Colors that go with Terracotta
Matches found by rotating Terracotta 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 Terracotta
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Terracotta, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Terracotta, with their ΔE distance.
- Terracota #CB6843 ΔE 0.005
- Terra Cotta #C9643B ΔE 0.007
- Adobe #BD6C48 ΔE 0.025
- Chocolate #D2691E ΔE 0.033
- Clay #B66A50 ΔE 0.037
- Rusty Orange #CD5909 ΔE 0.037
- Rust #CA6702 ΔE 0.039
- Tiger's Eye #BC6C25 ΔE 0.042
More about Terracotta
How to make Terracotta
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
- 4 parts yellow
- 1 part blue
Recipe result: #C86435, a difference of ΔE 0.012 from Terracotta. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Terracotta in every format
| HEX | #CA6641 |
| RGB | rgb(202, 102, 65) |
| HSL | hsl(16, 56%, 52%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(62.2% 0.137 40.5) |
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 #CA6641 | 3.82:1 | AA large text | Lc -70.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #CA6641 | 5.48:1 | AA | Lc 38.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #CA6641 text on white | 3.82:1 | AA large text | Lc 65.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #CA6641 text on black | 5.48:1 | AA | Lc -36.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
Shades and tints of Terracotta
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
#FBF4F1
oklch(97.2% 0.009 44.9)
-
Step 100
100
#F6E6E0
oklch(93.6% 0.019 41.8)
-
Step 200
200
#F0D2C7
oklch(88.6% 0.037 41.2)
-
Step 300
300
#E7B3A0
oklch(80.9% 0.066 41)
-
Step 400
400
#DA896C
oklch(70.8% 0.108 40.4)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#CA6641
oklch(62.2% 0.137 40.5)
-
Step 600
600
#B94E23
oklch(55.7% 0.149 40.6)
-
Step 700
700
#9F3E15
oklch(49.2% 0.139 40.6)
-
Step 800
800
#813415
oklch(42.7% 0.115 40.6)
-
Step 900
900
#682E18
oklch(37.7% 0.09 40.6)
-
Step 950
950
#3D1C0F
oklch(27% 0.056 41.6)
Terracotta 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) | #81753D | 0.130 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #998B3F | 0.121 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #DD525E | 0.069 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #828282 | 0.138 |
Use Terracotta 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.