Dark Orange `#FF8C00`

Dark Orange (#FF8C00) is a light, saturated orange with an OKLCH hue of 58°, lightness 0.75 and chroma 0.179. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as an accent color: strong in focal moments, dominant over large fields.

Color values

HEX	`#FF8C00`
RGB	`rgb(255, 140, 0)`
HSL	`hsl(33, 100%, 50%)`
HSV	`hsv(33, 100%, 100%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 45%, 100%, 0%)`
CIE Lab	`lab(69.5 36.8 75.5)`
OKLCH	`oklch(0.751 0.179 58)`

How Dark Orange behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Dark Orange shifts subtly: leans toward red; 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.

Warm interior (2700K incandescent / warm LED): → #ff8600 — ΔE 1.3, shifts subtly: leans toward red
Neutral LED (4000K task and retail lighting): → #ff8c00 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
Daylight (6500K standard daylight (reference)): → #ff8c00 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
North light / shade (~7500K diffuse blue-sky light): → #ff8d04 — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchanged

Contrast & accessibility

Against white it measures 2.33:1 and against black 9:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white text on this color entirely.

Palettes built from Dark Orange

Tonal

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.

#ffeee2 · #ffb780 · #ff8c00 · #b86300 · #864600 · #562b00

Analogous

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.

#f8d05d · #fdaf2e · #ff8c00 · #ee733e · #d65e56 · #ba4f64

Shifted

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.

#ff8c00 · #929451 · #a95a00 · #595a00 · #5a2d00 · #242400

Contrast

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.

#edc9af · #ff8c00 · #0096d8 · #965c2c · #713f11 · #48270b

Quiet Support

The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.

#e5f4ff · #ff8c00 · #a48d7d · #4e5a62 · #331e0e · #000206

Bright Accent

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.

#e9f4fb · #c0cdd6 · #94a2ac · #1b2d39 · #000b17 · #ff8c00

Complementary

The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.

#d6d9b3 · #ff8c00 · #ba8892 · #22818f · #2a3952 · #07130f

Split-complementary

The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.

#bde0c8 · #ff8c00 · #8995d4 · #446f7a · #2a3552 · #141006

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.

#ccfef2 · #ff8c00 · #00aa93 · #6736ac · #30005e · #000302

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.

#dafcde · #ff8c00 · #49aa5e · #005f8b · #400041 · #00050f

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#FFA04F · #FFB275 · #FFC395 · #FFD3B3 · #FFE3CF

Shades

#D27200 · #A65900 · #7C4100 · #552A00 · #311500

Muted

#EF9649 · #DF9E6B · #CEA586

Using Dark Orange

Its chroma is high enough to carry accents, calls to action, and focal moments; large fields of it will dominate a composition. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.