Brown Color / Colour Code #422B24
This page shows the hex color code for brown (#422B24). The colour is a orange tone with 29% saturation and 20% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #422B24 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#422B24 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 344, 14, and 44 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 14, 134, and 254 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #422B24
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 14 and saturation at 29%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 14 to 59 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 14 with its complement at 194 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #422B24
Lightness variations at hue 14 and 29% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #422B24
Design Use Cases for #422B24
Muted Accent Color
With 29% saturation, #422B24 has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Deep Accent & Text Color
#422B24 at 20% lightness is dark enough for readable body text on light backgrounds while retaining its red character. Use for headings, emphasized text, or deep accent borders. It provides contrast without the harshness of pure black.
Urgency & Energy Signaling
#422B24 falls in the red spectrum (hue 14). Red triggers urgency and excitement, making it effective for sale badges, countdown timers, error messages, and "limited time" labels. In data visualization, use it to flag negative values or critical thresholds.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #422B24 (hue 14) to its complement at hue 194. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 44. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #422b24, #243b42);
CSS Code for #422B24
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #422B24 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #422B24 across image editing and color design tools.
About Brown (#422B24)
#422B24 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 66 red, 43 green, and 36 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 14 degrees with 29% saturation and 20% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #422B24 is 49/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 35% magenta, 45% yellow, and 74% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #422B24 against white is 13.10:1 and against black is 1.60:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #243B42 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #422B24. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #42242C and #423A24, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #422B24
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #422B24?
- #422B24 is Brown, a orange color (colour) with RGB(66, 43, 36), HSL(14, 29%, 20%), and CMYK(0%, 35%, 45%, 74%). Its perceived brightness is 49/255.
- Is #422B24 accessible for text?
- Against white, #422B24 has a contrast ratio of 13.10:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.60:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #422B24?
- The complementary colour is #243B42 (hue 194). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #42242C and #423A24. The triadic palette adds #24422B and #2B2442 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #422B24 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #422b24; or rgb(66, 43, 36); or hsl(14, 29%, 20%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 14 29% 20%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.