Olive Drab
Rugged earth tone with muted olive character
Olive Drab is a muted, earthy olive with a desaturated lime quality. It feels functional rather than decorative, making it a reliable supporting tone in branding or outdoor-focused design. Because of its medium-dark value, use black text for clear readability. The hex code for this color is #6b8e23. It pairs well with charcoal greys or deep terracottas to avoid feeling muddy.
About Olive Drab
Moss on a shaded fence board in late summer
What does olive drab mean?
Olive tones often show up in military uniforms and outdoor gear, so the color commonly reads as practical and unpretentious. Its medium darkness and low saturation feel dry and grounded, like something left outside, with a faint lime lift keeping it awake.
Where you see olive drab
- military field jackets
- green olives
- mossy tree bark
- canvas tents
- pickles in a jar
- dried bay leaves
What it works for
It works for outdoor gear, earthy packaging, and backgrounds that need green without shouting, especially beside cream or rust.
What colors go with olive drab?
Burnt Orange #cc5500Rusty orange sits opposite on the wheel, so both colors read richer side by side.Blush #de5d83A soft pink cools the green's dryness and gives the pair a vintage feel.Cream #fffdd0Cream lightens this heavy green and gives it room to breathe.Charcoal #36454fDark gray sharpens the muted green without stealing its earthy tone.Mustard #ffdb58Neighbor yellows blend into a harvested, late-autumn field palette.Navy #000080Deep blue grounds the lime edge and pulls the whole mood darker.
Questions about Olive Drab
What is the hex code for Olive Drab?
Olive Drab is #6b8e23. In RGB that is rgb(107, 142, 35), in HSL hsl(80, 60%, 35%) and in CMYK 25%, 0%, 75%, 44%.
Is Olive Drab readable on white or black?
Olive Drab has a 3.80:1 contrast ratio on white and 5.51:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works only for large text (24px, or 18.5px bold) and on black it works for body text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.