#9E8B6E Hex Color
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#9e8b6e is a dusty, grayed orange that lands closer to taupe than terracotta. Its very low saturation keeps things calm and understated, though it can read muddy at large scale, so it works best as a supporting tone behind charcoal text, which clears the 4.5:1 contrast bar for body copy. Paired with deep teal or plum, this hex code gains a quiet warmth that flat neutrals lack.
Questions about #9e8b6e
What is #9e8b6e in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #9e8b6e is rgb(158, 139, 110), in HSL hsl(36, 20%, 53%) and in CMYK 0%, 12%, 30%, 38%.
What colors pair well with #9e8b6e?
Deep teal, plum, and charcoal all flatter #9e8b6e because their depth offsets its dusty, matte character. Avoid pale pastels, which tend to wash it out. Charcoal text on it also passes WCAG AA for body copy.
Does #9e8b6e read as warm or cool?
#9e8b6e reads warm, thanks to its orange base, but the heavy gray dilutes that warmth into something closer to taupe. It behaves more like a neutral in most palettes.
Is #9e8b6e readable on white or black?
#9e8b6e has a 3.29:1 contrast ratio on white and 6.37:1 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.