Color #B85000 Color / Colour Code #B85000
This page shows the hex color code for color #b85000 (#B85000). The colour is a orange tone with 100% saturation and 36% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #B85000 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#B85000 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 356, 26, and 56 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 26, 146, and 266 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #B85000
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 26 and saturation at 100%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 26 to 71 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 26 with its complement at 206 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 #B85000
Lightness variations at hue 26 and 100% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #B85000
Design Use Cases for #B85000
High-Impact Accent
With 100% saturation, #B85000 is highly vivid. Reserve this for elements that need maximum attention: primary action buttons, notification badges, error states, or promotional banners. Use sparingly alongside neutral tones to avoid visual fatigue.
Primary Interface Color
At 36% lightness, #B85000 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
#B85000 sits in the orange range (hue 26). 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 #B85000 (hue 26) to its complement at hue 206. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 56. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b85000, #0068b8);
CSS Code for #B85000
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #B85000 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #B85000 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #B85000 (#B85000)
#B85000 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 184 red, 80 green, and 0 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 184.0:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 26 degrees with 100% saturation and 36% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #B85000 is 102/255 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, 57% magenta, 100% yellow, and 28% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #B85000 against white is 5.02:1 and against black is 4.19:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 25% lightness.
The complementary colour #0068B8 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #B85000. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #B8000C and #B8AB00, 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 #B85000
- 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 #B85000?
- #B85000 is Color #B85000, a orange color (colour) with RGB(184, 80, 0), HSL(26, 100%, 36%), and CMYK(0%, 57%, 100%, 28%). Its perceived brightness is 102/255.
- Is #B85000 accessible for text?
- Against white, #B85000 has a contrast ratio of 5.02:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.19:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #B85000?
- The complementary colour is #0068B8 (hue 206). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #B8000C and #B8AB00. The triadic palette adds #00B850 and #5000B8 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #B85000 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #b85000; or rgb(184, 80, 0); or hsl(26, 100%, 36%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 26 100% 36%; 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.