#8B4513Saddle Brown (#8B4513) is a dark, soft orange with an OKLCH hue of 51°, lightness 0.47 and chroma 0.112. 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 | #8B4513 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(139, 69, 19) |
| HSL | hsl(25, 76%, 31%) |
| HSV | hsv(25, 86%, 55%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 50%, 86%, 45%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(37.5 26.4 41) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.471 0.112 51) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Saddle Brown is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.7), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#8c420e — ΔE 0.7, is virtually unchanged#8e4510 — ΔE 0.6, is virtually unchanged#8b4513 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#8b4614 — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchangedTest Saddle Brown 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 7.1:1 and against black 2.96:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black 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.
#e4ab8a · #c0825d · #9e5a2f · #8b4513 · #481d00 · #1e0600
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.
#97783c · #925f23 · #8b4513 · #793120 · #632126 · #4c1327
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.
#bbb789 · #a2983d · #7d7952 · #8b4513 · #662e02 · #411900
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.
#5cbdeb · #8c7569 · #8b4513 · #57331e · #361905 · #150400
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e8f4fb · #beaea5 · #6e767b · #8b4513 · #4f3f36 · #000103
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.
#e8f4fb · #bfcdd5 · #92a2ab · #182d37 · #000b14 · #8b4513
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d0d6b1 · #b0ae7f · #4d7ff3 · #8b4513 · #40406d · #110626
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e3f5ff · #64c3c8 · #4e74b6 · #8b4513 · #004d51 · #00000d
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ddfaef · #72c4a9 · #7568b1 · #8b4513 · #433771 · #000402
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e6f8e3 · #92c08a · #037faa · #8b4513 · #592f61 · #00050c
#A0613A · #B57C5B · #CA987C · #DFB59D · #F3D2C0
#763707 · #622A00 · #4C1F00 · #381400 · #250A00
#824B29 · #785039 · #6E5546
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.