Terracotta
Warm and grounded earthy burnt orange
Terracotta is a warm, earthy orange with a muted saturation that avoids being aggressive. It functions best as an accent color rather than a primary background to keep designs from feeling heavy. Pair it with deep charcoal or slate blue for a balanced, modern look. The hex code for this shade is #cb6843, which offers enough contrast to maintain legibility with black text.
About Terracotta
Sun-baked adobe wall at the end of summer
What does terracotta mean?
It commonly brings to mind baked earth, handmade pottery, rustic architecture, and the warm end of autumn. Its mid lightness and low saturation make it feel settled and easygoing, warm without asking for much attention.
Where you see terracotta
- flower pots
- roof tiles
- adobe walls
- brick walkways
- unglazed mugs
- dried chiles
What it works for
It works well for earthy interiors, pottery and food packaging, warm brand palettes, and backgrounds that feel grounded.
What colors go with terracotta?
Sage Green #9caf88The grayed green cools the orange's warmth and keeps both colors soft and planted.Cream #fffdd0Cream lifts the orange just enough to keep the pairing from feeling heavy.Teal #008080Teal sits opposite on the wheel, so the two sharpen each other without clashing.Olive #808000Both colors are muted and earthy, so they blend into one calm, natural palette.Mustard #ffdb58Two warm neighbors with different lightness, giving depth instead of flat repetition.Slate Blue #6a5acdThe cool gray blue tempers the warmth and adds quiet contrast to the pair.
Questions about Terracotta
What is the hex code for Terracotta?
Terracotta is #cb6843. In RGB that is rgb(203, 104, 67), in HSL hsl(16, 57%, 53%) and in CMYK 0%, 49%, 67%, 20%.
Is Terracotta readable on white or black?
Terracotta has a 3.74:1 contrast ratio on white and 5.60:1 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.