#8B5E37 Color
#8B5E37 is rgb(139, 94, 55) in RGB, hsl(28, 43%, 38%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 32%, 60%, 45%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Coyote Brown (#81613C), clearly related but distinguishable side by side at ΔE 6.91. White text is the more readable choice on this background.
#8B5E37rgb(139, 94, 55)hsl(28, 43%, 38%)hsv(28, 60%, 55%)cmyk(0%, 32%, 60%, 45%)oklch(52.2% 0.08 60.6)lab(44.23% 15.79 29.88)lch(44.23% 33.80 62.15)What #8B5E37 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 #8B5E37, 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.
#8B5E37 Channel Values
How #8B5E37 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 139 · G 94 · B 55 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 28° · S 43% · L 38% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 28° · S 60% · V 55% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 0% · M 32% · Y 60% · K 45% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 5.59:1 vs white · 3.75:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #8B5E37 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 #8B5E37 in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #8B5E37
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #8B5E37; 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 #8B5E37
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 #8B5E37.
How #8B5E37 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.
#8B5E37#676737#776437#6F6F34#7B6935#8D5A5A#8C5C4E#686868Using #8B5E37 in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-8b5e37: #8B5E37;background-color: #8B5E37;colors: { 'color-8b5e37': '#8B5E37' }Color(red: 0.545, green: 0.369, blue: 0.216)<color name="color_8b5e37">#8B5E37</color>fill="#8B5E37"More Brown Colors
#8B5E37 sits in the brown family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#8B5E37 Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #8B5E37?
#8B5E37 is a dark brown — rgb(139, 94, 55) in RGB and hsl(28, 43%, 38%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Coyote Brown (#81613C), which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side at a CIE76 distance of 6.91.
What is the RGB value of #8B5E37?
#8B5E37 is rgb(139, 94, 55) — red 139, green 94, and blue 55 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #8B5E37?
#8B5E37 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 32%, 60%, 45%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #8B5E37 be black or white?
White text is the more readable choice. #8B5E37 scores 5.59:1 against white and 3.75:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #8B5E37 as a CSS color keyword?
No. #8B5E37 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 sienna (#A0522D) at a CIE76 distance of 16.45, which is visibly different.
Open #8B5E37 in a Tool
Keep exploring: every brown in the color library, the guide to shades of brown, or the full color library.