Color #C5A181 Color / Colour Code #C5A181
This page shows the hex color code for color #c5a181 (#C5A181). The colour is a orange tone with 37% saturation and 64% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #C5A181 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#C5A181 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 358, 28, and 58 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 28, 148, and 268 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #C5A181
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 28 and saturation at 37%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 28 to 73 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 28 with its complement at 208 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 #C5A181
Lightness variations at hue 28 and 37% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #C5A181
Design Use Cases for #C5A181
Balanced UI Color
At 37% saturation, #C5A181 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 64% lightness, #C5A181 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
#C5A181 sits in the orange range (hue 28). 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 #C5A181 (hue 28) to its complement at hue 208. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 58. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #c5a181, #81a5c5);
CSS Code for #C5A181
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #C5A181 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #C5A181 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #C5A181 (#C5A181)
#C5A181 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 197 red, 161 green, and 129 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 28 degrees with 37% saturation and 64% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #C5A181 is 168/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 18% magenta, 35% yellow, and 23% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #C5A181 against white is 2.39:1 and against black is 8.79:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.79:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #81A5C5 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #C5A181. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #C58183 and #C5C381, 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 #C5A181
- 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 #C5A181?
- #C5A181 is Color #C5A181, a orange color (colour) with RGB(197, 161, 129), HSL(28, 37%, 64%), and CMYK(0%, 18%, 35%, 23%). Its perceived brightness is 168/255.
- Is #C5A181 accessible for text?
- Against white, #C5A181 has a contrast ratio of 2.39:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 8.79:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #C5A181?
- The complementary colour is #81A5C5 (hue 208). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #C58183 and #C5C381. The triadic palette adds #81C5A1 and #A181C5 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #C5A181 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #c5a181; or rgb(197, 161, 129); or hsl(28, 37%, 64%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 28 37% 64%; 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.