#E4DCC9Coco Malt (#E4DCC9) is a near-white neutral with an OKLCH hue of 88°, lightness 0.9 and chroma 0.027. In practice it behaves as a background color — quiet over large surfaces.
| HEX | #E4DCC9 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(228, 220, 201) |
| HSL | hsl(42, 33%, 84%) |
| HSV | hsv(42, 12%, 89%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 4%, 12%, 11%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(87.9 -0.5 10.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.896 0.027 88) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Coco Malt shifts subtly: takes on a orange cast, gains intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.1), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#ecd6bb — ΔE 2.1, shifts subtly: takes on a orange cast, gains intensity#ebddc5 — ΔE 1.1, shifts subtly: takes on a yellow cast#e4dcc9 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#e4ddcc — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Coco Malt 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 1.37:1 and against black 15.38:1, 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.
#f9f1df · #e4dcc9 · #a8a291 · #827c6e · #5e594c · #3c382d
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.
#e4dcc9 · #e7c296 · #d9ab8c · #c89685 · #b4827f · #9e7178
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.
#e4dcc9 · #b0c3ac · #ae9b6f · #678a5f · #706039 · #3b4c37
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.
#e4dcc9 · #bfb9a9 · #a2967a · #465682 · #423822 · #231e0f
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e4dcc9 · #bcbfc7 · #8a867c · #4e5055 · #242017 · #010102
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.
#e4dcc9 · #a19d94 · #474337 · #2a261a · #090500 · #e9be4d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e4dcc9 · #b9bfcf · #7685ab · #3f4f7a · #141e3f · #0b0500
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e4dcc9 · #b9bfcf · #638ca6 · #564774 · #002438 · #020006
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e4dcc9 · #b0c4c7 · #599099 · #674166 · #301430 · #000304
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e4dcc9 · #b1c5bf · #5d9286 · #3f4f7a · #381121 · #000008
#E7E0CF · #EAE4D6 · #EEE8DC · #F1EDE3 · #F4F1E9
#BAB3A2 · #928C7D · #6C665A · #484338 · #27231A
Its high lightness and low chroma make it a natural background or large-surface color. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.