Rust Brown Color Code: #8B3103, RGB & HSL

Rust Brown color values

HEX #8B3103

RGB rgb(139, 49, 3)

HSL hsl(20, 96%, 28%)

HSV 20, 98%, 55%

HWB hwb(20 1% 45%)

CMYK 0%, 65%, 98%, 45%

Decimal 9122051

28%HSL lightness (dark)

96%HSL saturation (vivid)

20°Hue angle (orange)

0.077Relative luminance

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

What is Rust Brown?

“Rust Brown” 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 20° places it in the orange part of the color wheel, with 96% saturation (vivid) and 28% lightness (dark). It is a warm color.

Compared with the other brown colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 9% of them and more saturated than 79% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.077, 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.

Rust Brown counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 28% and its relative luminance is 0.077. White text reads comfortably on it (8.27:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Rust Brown

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Rust Brown
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	8.27:1 Excellent	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Black text	Sample text	2.53:1 Poor	Fail	Fail	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 Rust Brown

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.

≈ Deep Sea Blue#035D8B

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.

≈ Blood#8B0319 ≈ Hazel#8B7503

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.

≈ Forest Green#038B31 ≈ Navy#31038B

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.

≈ Blue Green#038B75 ≈ Royal#03198B

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.

≈ Sap Green#5D8B03 ≈ Deep Sea Blue#035D8B ≈ Navy#31038B

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.

#1E0B01#1E0B01

#642302#642302

#AA3C04#AA3C04

#F05405#F05405

#FB8041#FB8041

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 Rust Brown

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.

Brown Red#922B05 Auburn#9A3001 Burnt Umber#A0450E Russet#A13905 Red Brown#8B2E16 Chestnut#742802 Rust#A83C09 Saddle Brown#8B4513

Where to use Rust Brown

Button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (8.27:1 contrast)
Accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations
Packaging and craft-style layouts
Warm neutrals alongside cream and green
Borders, wood-like textures and illustrations
Earthy, natural palettes

Use Rust Brown in CSS

:root {
  --color-rust-brown: #8B3103;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-rust-brown);
  background-color: #8B3103;
  border: 2px solid #8B3103;
}

Questions about Rust Brown

What is the HEX code for Rust Brown?

Rust Brown is #8B3103.

What is the RGB value of Rust Brown?

The RGB value of Rust Brown is 139, 49, 3: 139 red, 49 green and 3 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(139, 49, 3) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Rust Brown?

The HSL value of Rust Brown is 20°, 96%, 28% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(20, 96%, 28%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Rust Brown?

A standard conversion gives about C 0%, M 65%, Y 98%, K 45%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Rust Brown a light or dark color?

Rust Brown counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 28% and its relative luminance is 0.077. White text reads comfortably on it (8.27:1 contrast).

How does Rust Brown look with white text?

White text on Rust Brown has a contrast ratio of 8.27:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

How does Rust Brown look with black text?

Black text on Rust Brown has a contrast ratio of 2.53:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.

What colors go well with Rust Brown?

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

Where can Rust Brown be used?

It suits button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (8.27:1 contrast); accents that need to stand out: call-to-action buttons, charts and illustrations; packaging and craft-style layouts.

How do I use Rust Brown in CSS?

Use color: #8B3103; for text, background-color: #8B3103; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-rust-brown: #8B3103; and reuse it with var(--color-rust-brown).

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.

Rust Brown Color Code: #8B3103