Color #CD8A55 Color / Colour Code #CD8A55
This page shows the hex color code for color #cd8a55 (#CD8A55). The colour is a orange tone with 55% saturation and 57% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #CD8A55 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#CD8A55 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 #CD8A55
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 26 and saturation at 55%. 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 #CD8A55
Lightness variations at hue 26 and 55% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #CD8A55
Design Use Cases for #CD8A55
Balanced UI Color
At 55% saturation, #CD8A55 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 57% lightness, #CD8A55 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
#CD8A55 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 #CD8A55 (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, #cd8a55, #5599ce);
CSS Code for #CD8A55
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #CD8A55 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #CD8A55 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #CD8A55 (#CD8A55)
#CD8A55 is a orange color (colour) with RGB channel values of 205 red, 138 green, and 85 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 2.4:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 26 degrees with 55% saturation and 57% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #CD8A55 is 152/255 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, 33% magenta, 59% yellow, and 20% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #CD8A55 against white is 2.85:1 and against black is 7.36:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 7.36:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #5599CE creates maximum visual tension when paired with #CD8A55. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #CE555D and #CEC655, 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 #CD8A55
- 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 #CD8A55?
- #CD8A55 is Color #CD8A55, a orange color (colour) with RGB(205, 138, 85), HSL(26, 55%, 57%), and CMYK(0%, 33%, 59%, 20%). Its perceived brightness is 152/255.
- Is #CD8A55 accessible for text?
- Against white, #CD8A55 has a contrast ratio of 2.85:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 7.36:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #CD8A55?
- The complementary colour is #5599CE (hue 206). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #CE555D and #CEC655. The triadic palette adds #55CE89 and #8955CE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #CD8A55 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #cd8a55; or rgb(205, 138, 85); or hsl(26, 55%, 57%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 26 55% 57%; 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.