What color is #B9857B?

#B9857B is a desaturated red, closest to the named color Whisky. It belongs to the brown family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #B9857B?

The RGB value is 185, 133, 123: 185 red, 133 green and 123 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #B9857B?

The complementary color is #7BAFB9, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #B9857B?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 6.7:1 and white text 3.13:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#B9857B color

#B9857B rgb(185, 133, 123)

Shades of brown

The hex color #B9857B is a desaturated red.

In the RGB color model it is made of 72.5% red, 52.2% green and 48.2% blue (185, 133, 123).

Its hue angle is 10°, with 31% saturation and 60% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 28% magenta, 34% yellow and 27% black.

The closest named color is Whisky (#C2877B), a difference of 2.1 ΔE, a small difference.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 6.7:1).

#B9857B color codes

HEX	`#B9857B`
RGB	`rgb(185, 133, 123)`
RGB percent	`rgb(72.5%, 52.2%, 48.2%)`
HSL	`hsl(10, 31%, 60%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(10, 34%, 73%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 28%, 34%, 27%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(60.36, 18.61, 13.31)`
CIE LCH	`lch(60.36, 22.88, 35.58)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(31.971, 28.521, 22.556)`
Decimal	`12158331`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #B9857B, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #B9857B	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	6.7:1	Pass	Fail	Pass
Sample text	3.13:1	Fail	Fail	Pass

#B9857B as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	3.13:1	Fail	Fail	Pass
Sample text	6.7:1	Pass	Fail	Pass

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #B9857B looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #b9857b; }
.text { color: #b9857b; }
.border { border: 2px solid #b9857b; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(185 133 123 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #b9857b, #b9a47b); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #B9857B?: #B9857B is a desaturated red, closest to the named color Whisky. It belongs to the brown family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #B9857B?: The RGB value is 185, 133, 123: 185 red, 133 green and 123 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #B9857B?: The complementary color is #7BAFB9, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #B9857B?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 6.7:1 and white text 3.13:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.