Color #A8542E Color / Colour Code #A8542E
This page shows the hex color code for color #a8542e (#A8542E). The colour is a orange tone with 57% saturation and 42% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #A8542E against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#A8542E paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 349, 19, and 49 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 19, 139, and 259 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #A8542E
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 19 and saturation at 57%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 19 to 64 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 19 with its complement at 199 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 #A8542E
Lightness variations at hue 19 and 57% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #A8542E
Design Use Cases for #A8542E
Balanced UI Color
At 57% saturation, #A8542E strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Primary Interface Color
At 42% lightness, #A8542E 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
#A8542E sits in the orange range (hue 19). 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 #A8542E (hue 19) to its complement at hue 199. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 49. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #a8542e, #2e81a8);
CSS Code for #A8542E
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #A8542E based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #A8542E across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #A8542E (#A8542E)
#A8542E is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 168 red, 84 green, and 46 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.7:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 19 degrees with 57% saturation and 42% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #A8542E is 105/255 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, 50% magenta, 73% yellow, and 34% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #A8542E against white is 5.29:1 and against black is 3.97:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 29% lightness.
The complementary colour #2E81A8 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #A8542E. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #A82E44 and #A8922E, 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 #A8542E
- 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 #A8542E?
- #A8542E is Color #A8542E, a orange color (colour) with RGB(168, 84, 46), HSL(19, 57%, 42%), and CMYK(0%, 50%, 73%, 34%). Its perceived brightness is 105/255.
- Is #A8542E accessible for text?
- Against white, #A8542E has a contrast ratio of 5.29:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 3.97:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #A8542E?
- The complementary colour is #2E81A8 (hue 199). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #A82E44 and #A8922E. The triadic palette adds #2EA855 and #552EA8 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #A8542E in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #a8542e; or rgb(168, 84, 46); or hsl(19, 57%, 42%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 19 57% 42%; 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.