Color #685D40 Color / Colour Code #685D40
This page shows the hex color code for color #685d40 (#685D40). The colour is a orange tone with 24% saturation and 33% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #685D40 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#685D40 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 13, 43, and 73 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 43, 163, and 283 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #685D40
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 43 and saturation at 24%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 43 to 88 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 43 with its complement at 223 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 #685D40
Lightness variations at hue 43 and 24% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #685D40
Design Use Cases for #685D40
Muted Accent Color
With 24% saturation, #685D40 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.
Primary Interface Color
At 33% lightness, #685D40 is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#685D40 sits in the orange range (hue 43). 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 #685D40 (hue 43) to its complement at hue 223. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 73. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #685d40, #404b68);
CSS Code for #685D40
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #685D40 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #685D40 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #685D40 (#685D40)
#685D40 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 104 red, 93 green, and 64 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 43 degrees with 24% saturation and 33% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #685D40 is 93/255 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, 11% magenta, 38% yellow, and 59% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #685D40 against white is 6.50:1 and against black is 3.23:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 23% lightness.
The complementary colour #404B68 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #685D40. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #684940 and #606840, 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 #685D40
- 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 #685D40?
- #685D40 is Color #685D40, a orange color (colour) with RGB(104, 93, 64), HSL(43, 24%, 33%), and CMYK(0%, 11%, 38%, 59%). Its perceived brightness is 93/255.
- Is #685D40 accessible for text?
- Against white, #685D40 has a contrast ratio of 6.50:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 3.23:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #685D40?
- The complementary colour is #404B68 (hue 223). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #684940 and #606840. The triadic palette adds #40685D and #5D4068 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #685D40 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #685d40; or rgb(104, 93, 64); or hsl(43, 24%, 33%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 43 24% 33%; 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.