What color is #4E3909?

#4E3909 is a very dark, vivid brown. In RGB it is rgb(78, 57, 9), and in HSL hsl(42, 79%, 17%).

Is #4E3909 accessible as text?

On white, #4E3909 has a contrast ratio of 10.98:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.91:1 (fails). For text placed on #4E3909, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #4E3909?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is taupe-700 (#473C39).

What colors go well with #4E3909?

#4E3909 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #091E4E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #4E3909 below.

Is #4E3909 good for buttons?

#4E3909 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #4E3909 — black text only reaches 1.91:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #4E3909 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #4E3909 is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#4E3909 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #4E3909

Not just a swatch — here's how #4E3909 works with other colors. Named schemes with #4E3909 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #4E3909 Secondary #B36714 Accent #707946 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3B2A1F

This palette keeps Espresso as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #4E3909 Secondary #794B21 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #40503D Anchor #5B2228

Espresso plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Desert Clay Center · 5 colors

Center #4E3909 Surface #E0CFA8 Secondary #AE7B52 Accent #929970 Anchor #3E2C1F

Espresso holds the warm center of this desert palette with sand and clay beside it, a muted-sage accent and a dark-brown anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #4E3909 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B9AF9F Ink #2B2723

Espresso sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #4E3909 Secondary #6A6254 Support #9A9186 Ink #17140F

Espresso is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Espresso carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #4E3909 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 67/100

Warm

Reads warm and advancing — inviting, energetic, draws the eye forward.

Softness 34/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 62/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 90/100

Very high

Organic, earthy character — at home in wellness, food and craft brands.

Vintage feel 61/100

High

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 66/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 26/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 49/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 41/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #4E3909

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #4E3909 with

Falu Red Army Green Navy Greige

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 11.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EDDEBD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4B4E09 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #4E3909 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #4E3909;
  --color-base-rgb: 78 57 9;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(35.9% 0.068 83.0);
  --color-50: #FEFAF1;
  --color-100: #FCF1DA;
  --color-200: #F6E3B6;
  --color-300: #EBCC85;
  --color-400: #DAB358;
  --color-500: #C09635;
  --color-600: #927530;
  --color-700: #675428;
  --color-800: #43381D;
  --color-900: #292314;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  espresso: {
    50: '#FEFAF1',
    100: '#FCF1DA',
    200: '#F6E3B6',
    300: '#EBCC85',
    400: '#DAB358',
    500: '#C09635',
    600: '#927530',
    700: '#675428',
    800: '#43381D',
    900: '#292314',
  },
}

$base: #4E3909;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEFAF1;
$base-100: #FCF1DA;
$base-200: #F6E3B6;
$base-300: #EBCC85;
$base-400: #DAB358;
$base-500: #C09635;
$base-600: #927530;
$base-700: #675428;
$base-800: #43381D;
$base-900: #292314;
$base-hover: #3E2E07;
$base-subtle: #E6CF99;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#4E3909",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEFAF1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FCF1DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F6E3B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#EBCC85",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#DAB358",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#C09635",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#927530",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#675428",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#43381D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#292314",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #4E3909

Color Lab

Pairs with #4E3909

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export