Color #4E4037 Color / Colour Code #4E4037
This page shows the hex color code for color #4e4037 (#4E4037). The colour is a orange tone with 17% saturation and 26% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #4E4037 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#4E4037 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 353, 23, and 53 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 23, 143, and 263 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #4E4037
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 23 and saturation at 17%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 23 to 68 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 23 with its complement at 203 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 #4E4037
Lightness variations at hue 23 and 17% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #4E4037
Design Use Cases for #4E4037
Muted Accent Color
With 17% saturation, #4E4037 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
#4E4037 at 26% lightness is dark enough for readable body text on light backgrounds while retaining its orange character. Use for headings, emphasized text, or deep accent borders. It provides contrast without the harshness of pure black.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#4E4037 sits in the orange range (hue 23). Orange combines the energy of red with the warmth of yellow. It works naturally for progress indicators, pricing highlights, "new" badges, and friendly call-to-action buttons. Food and fitness brands frequently use this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #4E4037 (hue 23) to its complement at hue 203. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 53. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #4e4037, #37454e);
CSS Code for #4E4037
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #4E4037 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #4E4037 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #4E4037 (#4E4037)
#4E4037 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 78 red, 64 green, and 55 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 23 degrees with 17% saturation and 26% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #4E4037 is 67/255 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, 18% magenta, 29% yellow, and 69% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #4E4037 against white is 9.94:1 and against black is 2.11:1. 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 #37454E creates maximum visual tension when paired with #4E4037. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #4E373A and #4E4B37, 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 #4E4037
- 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 #4E4037?
- #4E4037 is Color #4E4037, a orange color (colour) with RGB(78, 64, 55), HSL(23, 17%, 26%), and CMYK(0%, 18%, 29%, 69%). Its perceived brightness is 67/255.
- Is #4E4037 accessible for text?
- Against white, #4E4037 has a contrast ratio of 9.94:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.11:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #4E4037?
- The complementary colour is #37454E (hue 203). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #4E373A and #4E4B37. The triadic palette adds #374E40 and #40374E for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #4E4037 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #4e4037; or rgb(78, 64, 55); or hsl(23, 17%, 26%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 23 17% 26%; 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.