Brown color · XKCD survey name

Burnt Umber Color Code: #A0450E

Burnt Umber (#A0450E) is a medium-dark, vivid orange shade: RGB 160, 69, 14, HSL 23°, 84%, 34%. White text reads comfortably on it (6.26:1 contrast).

Burnt Umber color values

HEX #A0450E
RGB rgb(160, 69, 14)
HSL hsl(23, 84%, 34%)
HSV 23, 91%, 63%
HWB hwb(23 5% 37%)
CMYK 0%, 57%, 91%, 37%
Decimal 10503438
34%HSL lightness (medium-dark)
84%HSL saturation (vivid)
23°Hue angle (orange)
0.118Relative luminance

CMYK is a standard screen-to-print conversion. Printed results depend on inks, paper and color profiles.

What is Burnt Umber?

“Burnt Umber” is a crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey, in which participants typed names for colors they were shown. It is a popular everyday label rather than an official standard.

Its hue angle of 23° places it in the orange part of the color wheel, with 84% saturation (vivid) and 34% lightness (medium-dark). It is a warm color.

Compared with the other brown colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 23% of them and more saturated than 60% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.118, which makes it a dark color. That is below the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so white text has the advantage.

Burnt Umber counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 34% and its relative luminance is 0.118. White text reads comfortably on it (6.26:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Burnt Umber

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Burnt Umber
TextPreviewRatioAA normalAA largeAAA normalAAA large
White text Sample text 6.26:1 Good Pass Pass Fail Pass
Black text Sample text 3.35:1 Limited Fail Pass Fail Fail

Ratios use the WCAG 2 formula and are truncated, never rounded up. Test any pair with the contrast checker.

Colors that go with Burnt Umber

Complementary color

Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart). They give the strongest hue contrast, which suits calls to action and accents.

Analogous colors

Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, 30° either side of the base hue. They blend smoothly and are easy to combine in backgrounds, gradients and illustrations.

Triadic colors

A triadic scheme uses three hues spaced 120° apart. It is lively yet balanced, and works best when one color leads and the other two act as accents.

Split-complementary colors

Split-complementary keeps the base color and uses the two colors on either side of its complement (150° and 210°). The contrast is strong but gentler than a direct complement.

Tetradic colors

A tetradic (rectangle) scheme combines two complementary pairs at 0°, 60°, 180° and 240°. It offers variety but needs one dominant color to stay balanced.

Monochromatic variants

Monochromatic variants keep the same hue and saturation and only change lightness, which makes them dependable for UI scales and subtle layered designs.

#1D0C03#1D0C03
#5E2908#5E2908
#A0450E#A0450E
#E26114#E26114
#EF8A4D#EF8A4D

A “≈” before a name means the exact harmony color has no named match, so the link goes to the closest named color.

Tints and shades of Burnt Umber

Lighter tints (mixed with white)

Darker shades (mixed with black)

Select any swatch to copy its HEX code. Build longer scales with the tints and shades tool.

Where to use Burnt Umber

  • Button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (6.26:1 contrast)
  • Accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations
  • Large headings, icons and graphics, where a 3:1 contrast ratio is enough
  • Packaging and craft-style layouts
  • Warm neutrals alongside cream and green
  • Borders, wood-like textures and illustrations

Use Burnt Umber in CSS

:root {
  --color-burnt-umber: #A0450E;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-burnt-umber);
  background-color: #A0450E;
  border: 2px solid #A0450E;
}

Questions about Burnt Umber

What is the HEX code for Burnt Umber?

Burnt Umber is #A0450E.

What is the RGB value of Burnt Umber?

The RGB value of Burnt Umber is 160, 69, 14: 160 red, 69 green and 14 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(160, 69, 14) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Burnt Umber?

The HSL value of Burnt Umber is 23°, 84%, 34% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(23, 84%, 34%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Burnt Umber?

A standard conversion gives about C 0%, M 57%, Y 91%, K 37%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Burnt Umber a light or dark color?

Burnt Umber counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 34% and its relative luminance is 0.118. White text reads comfortably on it (6.26:1 contrast).

How does Burnt Umber look with white text?

White text on Burnt Umber has a contrast ratio of 6.26:1, rated Good. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

How does Burnt Umber look with black text?

Black text on Burnt Umber has a contrast ratio of 3.35:1, rated Limited. It does not reach WCAG AA for normal text; use large text only.

What colors go well with Burnt Umber?

Peacock Blue is its complementary color, and Carmine sits beside it as an analogous color. Lighter and darker variants of the same hue also work well for monochromatic palettes.

Where can Burnt Umber be used?

It suits button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (6.26:1 contrast); accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations; large headings, icons and graphics, where a 3:1 contrast ratio is enough.

How do I use Burnt Umber in CSS?

Use color: #A0450E; for text, background-color: #A0450E; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-burnt-umber: #A0450E; and reuse it with var(--color-burnt-umber).

About this color page

Crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey (CC0). Values are calculated from the HEX code; color names are labels, not trademarks or standards unless stated. Screens render colors differently, so always check important colors on your own device. See the disclaimer.