Orange Color / Colour Code #9C3816
This page shows the hex color code for orange (#9C3816). The colour is a orange tone with 75% saturation and 35% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #9C3816 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#9C3816 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 345, 15, and 45 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 15, 135, and 255 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #9C3816
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 15 and saturation at 75%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 15 to 60 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 15 with its complement at 195 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 #9C3816
Lightness variations at hue 15 and 75% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #9C3816
Design Use Cases for #9C3816
Vibrant Brand Color
#9C3816 has a strong 75% saturation that makes it ideal for brand identity elements. Use it for logos, primary call-to-action buttons, hero section accents, and marketing materials where visual impact matters. This saturation level is eye-catching without being harsh.
Primary Interface Color
At 35% lightness, #9C3816 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
#9C3816 sits in the orange range (hue 15). 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 #9C3816 (hue 15) to its complement at hue 195. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 45. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #9c3816, #167b9c);
CSS Code for #9C3816
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #9C3816 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #9C3816 across image editing and color design tools.
About Orange (#9C3816)
#9C3816 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 156 red, 56 green, and 22 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 7.1:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 15 degrees with 75% saturation and 35% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #9C3816 is 82/255 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, 64% magenta, 86% yellow, and 39% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #9C3816 against white is 7.02:1 and against black is 2.99:1. 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 #167B9C creates maximum visual tension when paired with #9C3816. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #9C1638 and #9C7B16, 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 #9C3816
- 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 #9C3816?
- #9C3816 is Orange, a orange color (colour) with RGB(156, 56, 22), HSL(15, 75%, 35%), and CMYK(0%, 64%, 86%, 39%). Its perceived brightness is 82/255.
- Is #9C3816 accessible for text?
- Against white, #9C3816 has a contrast ratio of 7.02:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.99:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #9C3816?
- The complementary colour is #167B9C (hue 195). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #9C1638 and #9C7B16. The triadic palette adds #169C38 and #38169C for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #9C3816 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #9c3816; or rgb(156, 56, 22); or hsl(15, 75%, 35%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 15 75% 35%; 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.