#F4A460Sandy Brown (#F4A460) is a light, soft orange with an OKLCH hue of 60°, lightness 0.78 and chroma 0.127. 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 | #F4A460 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(244, 164, 96) |
| HSL | hsl(28, 87%, 67%) |
| HSV | hsv(28, 61%, 96%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 33%, 61%, 4%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(74 23 46.8) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.784 0.127 60) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Sandy Brown 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.
#f89f57 — ΔE 1.3, shifts subtly: leans toward red#f9a45d — ΔE 0.8, is virtually unchanged#f4a460 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#f4a562 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Sandy 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 2.03:1 and against black 10.33:1, 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.
#ffeee2 · #f4a460 · #d98e4e · #ad6b2e · #82490b · #562c00
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.
#f7de92 · #f6c174 · #f4a460 · #e38d67 · #cd786e · #b46772
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.
#f4a460 · #9a9e70 · #aa6a32 · #616400 · #663500 · #2b2d00
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.
#f0d7c4 · #f4a460 · #3da0dc · #946c4b · #714e31 · #4a3321
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e8f4fd · #f4a460 · #a9998d · #586066 · #322317 · #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.
#e9f4fc · #c1cdd6 · #95a3ad · #1c2e3b · #000c18 · #f4a460
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d2d6b0 · #f4a460 · #c3979e · #22808f · #2b3a56 · #04120d
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#bde2ca · #f4a460 · #96a1d8 · #4b6d7a · #333b57 · #120e03
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#d7fbf2 · #f4a460 · #47b19f · #6a4b9b · #301452 · #000201
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e1fae4 · #f4a460 · #6dae7a · #006596 · #41093f · #000611
#F8B177 · #FCBE8C · #FFCAA1 · #FFD8BA · #FFE5D2
#CB8446 · #A4652C · #7E4811 · #592D00 · #331700
#E8A976 · #DCAE8A · #D0B29C
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.