#552E1B Color
#552E1B is rgb(85, 46, 27) in RGB, hsl(20, 52%, 22%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 46%, 68%, 67%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Van Dyke Brown (#664228), clearly related but distinguishable side by side at ΔE 8.79. White text is the more readable choice on this background.
#552E1Brgb(85, 46, 27)hsl(20, 52%, 22%)hsv(20, 68%, 33%)cmyk(0%, 46%, 68%, 67%)oklch(34.7% 0.065 45.9)lab(23.82% 16.89 20.19)lch(23.82% 26.32 50.09)What #552E1B Is Called
Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #552E1B, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.
Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every brown in the library.
#552E1B Channel Values
How #552E1B breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.
| Model | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | R 85 · G 46 · B 27 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 20° · S 52% · L 22% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 20° · S 68% · V 33% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 0% · M 46% · Y 68% · K 67% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 11.71:1 vs white · 1.79:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #552E1B background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.
Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #552E1B in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #552E1B
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #552E1B; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.
Tints & Shades of #552E1B
Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.
Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #552E1B.
How #552E1B Looks with Color Vision Deficiency
Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.
#552E1B#37371B#45341B#3E3E18#483819#562C2C#562D26#383838Using #552E1B in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-552e1b: #552E1B;background-color: #552E1B;colors: { 'color-552e1b': '#552E1B' }Color(red: 0.333, green: 0.180, blue: 0.106)<color name="color_552e1b">#552E1B</color>fill="#552E1B"More Brown Colors
#552E1B sits in the brown family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#552E1B Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #552E1B?
#552E1B is a dark brown — rgb(85, 46, 27) in RGB and hsl(20, 52%, 22%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Van Dyke Brown (#664228), which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side at a CIE76 distance of 8.79.
What is the RGB value of #552E1B?
#552E1B is rgb(85, 46, 27) — red 85, green 46, and blue 27 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #552E1B?
#552E1B converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 46%, 68%, 67%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #552E1B be black or white?
White text is the more readable choice. #552E1B scores 11.71:1 against white and 1.79:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #552E1B as a CSS color keyword?
No. #552E1B is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is saddlebrown (#8B4513) at a CIE76 distance of 27.95, which is a different colour altogether.
Open #552E1B in a Tool
Keep exploring: every brown in the color library, the guide to shades of brown, or the full color library.