Clay Color Code: #B66A50, RGB, HSL & CMYK

Clay color values

HEX #B66A50

RGB rgb(182, 106, 80)

HSL hsl(15, 41%, 51%)

HSV 15, 56%, 71%

HWB hwb(15 31% 29%)

CMYK 0%, 42%, 56%, 29%

Decimal 11954768

51%HSL lightness (medium)

41%HSL saturation (soft)

15°Hue angle (orange)

0.208Relative luminance

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

What is Clay?

“Clay” 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 15° places it in the orange part of the color wheel, with 41% saturation (soft) and 51% lightness (medium). It is a warm color.

Compared with the other brown colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 64% of them and more saturated than 25% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.208, which makes it a mid-tone color. That is above the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so black text has the advantage.

Clay counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 51% and its relative luminance is 0.208. Black text reads best on it (5.16:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Clay

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Clay
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	4.06:1 Limited	Fail	Pass	Fail	Fail
Black text	Sample text	5.16:1 Good	Pass	Pass	Fail	Pass

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

Colors that go with Clay

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.

≈ Teal Blue#509CB6

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.

≈ Light Burgundy#B65069 ≈ Desert#B69D50

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.

≈ Dark Mint#50B66A ≈ Iris#6A50B6

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.

≈ Medium Aquamarine#50B69D ≈ French Blue#5069B6

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.

≈ Light Olive Green#9CB650 ≈ Teal Blue#509CB6 ≈ Iris#6A50B6

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.

#543023#543023

#864C38#864C38

#B66A50#B66A50

#CB9582#CB9582

#E0C0B5#E0C0B5

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 Clay

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.

Adobe#BD6C48 Earth#A2653E Sienna#A0522D Clay Brown#B2713D Dark Peach#DE7E5D Terracotta#CA6641 Sepia#985E2B Dark Salmon#E9967A

Where to use Clay

Card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (5.16:1 contrast with black)
Large headings, icons and graphics, where a 3:1 contrast ratio is enough
Earthy, natural palettes
Packaging and craft-style layouts
Warm neutrals alongside cream and green
Borders, wood-like textures and illustrations

Use Clay in CSS

:root {
  --color-clay: #B66A50;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-clay);
  background-color: #B66A50;
  border: 2px solid #B66A50;
}

Questions about Clay

What is the HEX code for Clay?

Clay is #B66A50.

What is the RGB value of Clay?

The RGB value of Clay is 182, 106, 80: 182 red, 106 green and 80 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(182, 106, 80) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Clay?

The HSL value of Clay is 15°, 41%, 51% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(15, 41%, 51%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Clay?

A standard conversion gives about C 0%, M 42%, Y 56%, K 29%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Clay a light or dark color?

Clay counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 51% and its relative luminance is 0.208. Black text reads best on it (5.16:1 contrast).

How does Clay look with white text?

White text on Clay has a contrast ratio of 4.06:1, rated Limited. It does not reach WCAG AA for normal text; use large text only.

How does Clay look with black text?

Black text on Clay has a contrast ratio of 5.16:1, rated Good. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

What colors go well with Clay?

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

Where can Clay be used?

It suits card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (5.16:1 contrast with black); large headings, icons and graphics, where a 3:1 contrast ratio is enough; earthy, natural palettes.

How do I use Clay in CSS?

Use color: #B66A50; for text, background-color: #B66A50; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-clay: #B66A50; and reuse it with var(--color-clay).

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.

Clay Color Code: #B66A50