#FFA177Butternut (#FFA177) is a light, soft red with an OKLCH hue of 45°, lightness 0.79 and chroma 0.126. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #FFA177 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(255, 161, 119) |
| HSL | hsl(19, 100%, 73%) |
| HSV | hsv(19, 53%, 100%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 37%, 53%, 0%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(74.9 30.7 36.4) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.795 0.126 45) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Butternut shifts subtly: drifts toward orange; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 1.3), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#ff9c6d — ΔE 1.3, shifts subtly: drifts toward orange#ffa174 — ΔE 0.3, shifts subtly: drifts toward orange#ffa177 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#ffa279 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Butternut in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 1.98:1 and against black 10.62:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#ffeee6 · #ffa177 · #e08961 · #b26542 · #874424 · #5d2404
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#ffd9a1 · #ffbe88 · #ffa177 · #e98c7f · #d07a84 · #b36b86
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#ffa177 · #a89d70 · #b36947 · #736100 · #713110 · #362c00
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#f6d8cc · #ffa177 · #17a9d3 · #9c6c57 · #774e3c · #4f3429
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e6f5fb · #ffa177 · #ae9b93 · #586266 · #34231b · #000204
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#e7f4fa · #beced4 · #91a3aa · #172e36 · #000b13 · #ffa177
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#ddddb7 · #ffa177 · #c59baa · #25898b · #2f3e4d · #05130d
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#c9e1c1 · #ffa177 · #81a5d8 · #4c7374 · #323d49 · #150d03
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#dcfaeb · #ffa177 · #5db490 · #5a53a4 · #251a59 · #000502
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e7f8df · #ffa177 · #85ae6d · #006b88 · #3a104b · #00050b
#FFB08D · #FFBEA1 · #FFCBB5 · #FFD8C8 · #FFE5DA
#D5815B · #AC6241 · #844527 · #5F290D · #3A1000
#F2A887 · #E5AE96 · #D6B4A5
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.