Orange Color / Colour Code #BF6040
This page shows the hex color code for orange (#BF6040). The colour is a orange tone with 50% saturation and 50% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BF6040 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BF6040 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 #BF6040
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 15 and saturation at 50%. 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 #BF6040
Lightness variations at hue 15 and 50% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BF6040
Design Use Cases for #BF6040
Balanced UI Color
At 50% saturation, #BF6040 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.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 50% lightness, #BF6040 has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Warmth & Enthusiasm
#BF6040 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 #BF6040 (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, #bf6040, #409fbf);
CSS Code for #BF6040
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BF6040 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BF6040 across image editing and color design tools.
About Orange (#BF6040)
#BF6040 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 191 red, 96 green, and 64 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.0:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 15 degrees with 50% saturation and 50% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BF6040 is 121/255 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, 66% yellow, and 25% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BF6040 against white is 4.23:1 and against black is 4.96:1. This only passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. For normal body text on white, darken the color or use it on a dark background where it achieves 4.96:1.
The complementary colour #409FBF creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BF6040. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BF4060 and #BF9F40, 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 #BF6040
- 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 #BF6040?
- #BF6040 is Orange, a orange color (colour) with RGB(191, 96, 64), HSL(15, 50%, 50%), and CMYK(0%, 50%, 66%, 25%). Its perceived brightness is 121/255.
- Is #BF6040 accessible for text?
- Against white, #BF6040 has a contrast ratio of 4.23:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.96:1 (passes AA). It passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BF6040?
- The complementary colour is #409FBF (hue 195). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BF4060 and #BF9F40. The triadic palette adds #40BF60 and #6040BF for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BF6040 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bf6040; or rgb(191, 96, 64); or hsl(15, 50%, 50%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 15 50% 50%; 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.