Sand Brown Color Code: #CBA560, RGB & HSL

Sand Brown color values

HEX #CBA560

RGB rgb(203, 165, 96)

HSL hsl(39, 51%, 59%)

HSV 39, 53%, 80%

HWB hwb(39 38% 20%)

CMYK 0%, 19%, 53%, 20%

Decimal 13346144

59%HSL lightness (medium)

51%HSL saturation (rich)

39°Hue angle (orange)

0.405Relative luminance

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

What is Sand Brown?

“Sand 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 39° places it in the orange part of the color wheel, with 51% saturation (rich) and 59% lightness (medium). It is a warm color.

Compared with the other brown colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 74% of them and more saturated than 36% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.405, which makes it a light color. That is above the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so black text has the advantage.

Sand Brown counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 59% and its relative luminance is 0.405. Black text reads best on it (9.09:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Sand Brown

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Sand Brown
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	2.31:1 Poor	Fail	Fail	Fail	Fail
Black text	Sample text	9.09:1 Excellent	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

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

Colors that go with Sand 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.

≈ French Blue#6086CB

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.

≈ Clay#CB7060 ≈ Light Olive Green#BBCB60

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.

≈ Medium Aquamarine#60CBA5 ≈ Amethyst#A560CB

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.

≈ Turquoise Blue#60BBCB ≈ Iris#7060CB

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.

≈ Turtle Green#86CB60 ≈ French Blue#6086CB ≈ Amethyst#A560CB

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.

#765A26#765A26

#AC8338#AC8338

#CBA560#CBA560

#DDC396#DDC396

#EEE2CC#EEE2CC

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 Sand 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.

Camel#C69F59 Desert#CCAD60 Sandstone#C9AE74 Fawn#CFAF7B Dark Tan#AF884A Very Light Brown#D3B683 Burlywood#DEB887 Dark Sand#A88F59

Where to use Sand Brown

Card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (9.09:1 contrast with black)
Warm neutrals alongside cream and green
Borders, wood-like textures and illustrations
Earthy, natural palettes
Packaging and craft-style layouts

Use Sand Brown in CSS

:root {
  --color-sand-brown: #CBA560;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-sand-brown);
  background-color: #CBA560;
  border: 2px solid #CBA560;
}

Questions about Sand Brown

What is the HEX code for Sand Brown?

Sand Brown is #CBA560.

What is the RGB value of Sand Brown?

The RGB value of Sand Brown is 203, 165, 96: 203 red, 165 green and 96 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(203, 165, 96) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Sand Brown?

The HSL value of Sand Brown is 39°, 51%, 59% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(39, 51%, 59%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Sand Brown?

A standard conversion gives about C 0%, M 19%, Y 53%, K 20%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Sand Brown a light or dark color?

Sand Brown counts as a light color: its HSL lightness is 59% and its relative luminance is 0.405. Black text reads best on it (9.09:1 contrast).

How does Sand Brown look with white text?

White text on Sand Brown has a contrast ratio of 2.31:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.

How does Sand Brown look with black text?

Black text on Sand Brown has a contrast ratio of 9.09:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

What colors go well with Sand Brown?

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

Where can Sand Brown be used?

It suits card, highlight and section backgrounds with dark text (9.09:1 contrast with black); warm neutrals alongside cream and green; borders, wood-like textures and illustrations.

How do I use Sand Brown in CSS?

Use color: #CBA560; for text, background-color: #CBA560; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-sand-brown: #CBA560; and reuse it with var(--color-sand-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.

Sand Brown Color Code: #CBA560