Tobacco
A serious, grounded and dusty brown
Tobacco is a dim, dusty brown with a matte, unsaturated finish that reads serious and grounded. Because of its dark tone, the hex code #684f3c serves best as a supporting element rather than a large background. It provides strong contrast with white text, making it a reliable choice for readable UI elements. Pair this shade with muted creams or soft teals to avoid a muddy appearance.
About Tobacco
Dry leaves packed in a tin
What does tobacco mean?
People often read dark browns like this as grounded and practical, tying them to soil, leather, coffee, and plain work clothes. Its low saturation and deep tone keep it flat and matte, so it feels heavy, still, and closer to shadow than light.
Where you see tobacco
- dry pine needles
- leather satchels
- potting soil
- coffee grounds
- walnut shells
- mushroom caps
What it works for
It suits leather goods, wood stains, and autumn palettes as a quiet base under brighter accent colors.
What colors go with tobacco?
Cream #fffdd0The pale warm neutral lifts the brown without adding any competing color.Sage #9caf88The muted green reads like foliage against soil, natural and low contrast.Rust #b7410eBoth sit in the warm range, and rust adds fire where tobacco stays flat.Teal #008080The cool blue-green cuts through the brown and keeps the pairing from feeling muddy.Blush #de5d83The soft pink warms up the dark base and lightens the overall mood.Charcoal #36454fTwo dark neutrals stack into a dense, serious palette with no brightness.
Questions about Tobacco
What is the hex code for Tobacco?
Tobacco is #684f3c. In RGB that is rgb(104, 79, 60), in HSL hsl(26, 27%, 32%) and in CMYK 0%, 24%, 42%, 59%.
Should I use #684f3c for large background areas?
It is generally better to use #684f3c as a supporting accent or text element rather than a large background. Its dark, heavy tone can overwhelm a layout, though it provides excellent contrast when paired with white text on smaller UI elements.
Is Tobacco readable on white or black?
Tobacco has a 7.57:1 contrast ratio on white and 2.77:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works for body text and on black it is too faint for text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.