Named color

Ecru

Ecru is an earth tone yellow color with HEX #C2B280. According to Colors Encyclopedia, it has RGB 194, 178, 128, HSL 45, 35%, 63%, warm temperature, and is useful for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces.

#C2B280 yellow warm earth-tone

HEX #C2B280

RGB rgb(194, 178, 128)

HSL hsl(45 35% 63%)

CMYK cmyk(0, 8, 34, 24)

Luminance 0.4487

Contrast Black 9.97:1White 2.11:1

CSS Utilities

--color-ecru: #C2B280;
.bg-ecru { background-color: #C2B280; }
.text-ecru { color: #C2B280; }

Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Luminance0.4487

Black text9.97:1AA Pass

White text2.11:1AA Fail

hexCanonical HEX value

rgbRed, green, blue channels

hslHue, saturation, lightness

cmykApproximate print conversion

wcagAA and AAA contrast options

harmoniesMathematical harmony sets

variantsGenerated tone variants

nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors

Structured sections

Color systems

{
  "hex": "#C2B280",
  "rgb": [
    194,
    178,
    128
  ],
  "hsl": [
    45,
    35,
    63
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    8,
    34,
    24
  ],
  "luminance": 0.4487,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 9.97,
    "white": 2.11
  }
}

WCAG

{
  "AA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#36454F"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#000000",
    "#1A1A1A"
  ]
}

Harmonies

{
  "complementary": "#8090C2",
  "analogous": [
    "#C29080",
    "#B1C280"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#80C2B1",
    "#B180C2"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#80C290",
    "#8090C2",
    "#C280B1"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#80B1C2",
    "#9080C2"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#E0D7BE",
    "#C2B280",
    "#9B874B"
  ]
}

Variants

{
  "light": "#E0D7BE",
  "dark": "#9B874B",
  "saturated": "#D6BC6B",
  "desaturated": "#ADA794",
  "pastel": "#E7E3DA",
  "neon": "#FFDA6B"
}

Pairings

{
  "best": [
    "#000000",
    "#8090C2",
    "#C29080",
    "#B1C280"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#ADA794",
    "#E0D7BE"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#000000"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#E0D7BE",
    "#ADA794"
  ]
}

Knowledge graph

{
  "nearestColors": [
    "sand",
    "sandstone",
    "sage-gray",
    "bamboo",
    "tan"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "ecru"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "ecru-vs-sand",
    "ecru-vs-sandstone",
    "tan-vs-ecru"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/yellow",
    "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
    "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/ecru",
    "/wcag/ecru",
    "/css/colors/ecru",
    "/hex/c2b280"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/yellow",
      "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
      "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/ecru"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/sand",
      "/colors/sandstone",
      "/colors/sage-gray",
      "/colors/bamboo",
      "/colors/tan",
      "/compare/ecru-vs-sand",
      "/compare/ecru-vs-sandstone",
      "/compare/tan-vs-ecru",
      "/harmonies/ecru",
      "/wcag/ecru",
      "/css/colors/ecru",
      "/hex/c2b280"
    ]
  }
}

Full JSON dataset

{
  "slug": "ecru",
  "name": "Ecru",
  "hex": "#C2B280",
  "uses": [
    "backgrounds",
    "typography",
    "product surfaces"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "restraint",
      "clarity",
      "balance"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "interfaces",
      "architecture",
      "editorial design",
      "packaging"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "high-energy accent-only palettes"
    ]
  },
  "aliases": [],
  "sourceType": "curated",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "reviewStatus": "manual",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/assets/colors.json",
  "origin": {
    "type": "common",
    "notes": "Curated common color reference used in design and editorial color systems."
  },
  "family": "yellow",
  "temperature": "warm",
  "tone": [
    "earth-tone"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "yellow",
    "warm",
    "earth-tone",
    "backgrounds",
    "typography",
    "product-surfaces",
    "restraint",
    "clarity",
    "balance"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    194,
    178,
    128
  ],
  "hsl": [
    45,
    35,
    63
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    8,
    34,
    24
  ],
  "luminance": 0.4487,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 9.97,
    "white": 2.11
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#8090C2",
    "analogous": [
      "#C29080",
      "#B1C280"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#80C2B1",
      "#B180C2"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#80C290",
      "#8090C2",
      "#C280B1"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#80B1C2",
      "#9080C2"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#E0D7BE",
      "#C2B280",
      "#9B874B"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#E0D7BE",
    "dark": "#9B874B",
    "saturated": "#D6BC6B",
    "desaturated": "#ADA794",
    "pastel": "#E7E3DA",
    "neon": "#FFDA6B"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#36454F"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#000000",
      "#1A1A1A"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-ecru: #C2B280;",
    "utility": ".bg-ecru { background-color: #C2B280; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-ecru { color: #C2B280; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "sand",
    "sandstone",
    "sage-gray",
    "bamboo",
    "tan"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "ecru"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "ecru-vs-sand",
    "ecru-vs-sandstone",
    "tan-vs-ecru"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/yellow",
    "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
    "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/ecru",
    "/wcag/ecru",
    "/css/colors/ecru",
    "/hex/c2b280"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/yellow",
      "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
      "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/ecru"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/sand",
      "/colors/sandstone",
      "/colors/sage-gray",
      "/colors/bamboo",
      "/colors/tan",
      "/compare/ecru-vs-sand",
      "/compare/ecru-vs-sandstone",
      "/compare/tan-vs-ecru",
      "/harmonies/ecru",
      "/wcag/ecru",
      "/css/colors/ecru",
      "/hex/c2b280"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#000000",
      "#8090C2",
      "#C29080",
      "#B1C280"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#ADA794",
      "#E0D7BE"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#000000"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#E0D7BE",
      "#ADA794"
    ]
  }
}

Color meaning and use

About Ecru Color

Ecru sits in the yellow family with warm temperature and earth tone visual character. Ecru is a commonly used color name in design references, palettes, and editorial color systems.

Its common associations include restraint, clarity, and balance, which makes it relevant for interfaces and architecture. In design work, Ecru is most useful for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, especially when paired with black text for stronger contrast.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Ecru against black and white text.

Black text9.97:1AA Pass

White text2.11:1AA Fail

AA text options#000000, #1A1A1A, #36454F

AAA text options#000000, #1A1A1A

Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Similar Colors

Sand#C2B280

Sandstone#C9AE74

Sage Gray#B2AC88

Bamboo#C7B56E

Tan#D2B48C

Color Harmonies

#8090C2#8090C2

#C29080#C29080

#B1C280#B1C280

#80C2B1#80C2B1

#B180C2#B180C2

Open full Ecru harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#E0D7BE#E0D7BE

#9B874B#9B874B

#D6BC6B#D6BC6B

#ADA794#ADA794

#E7E3DA#E7E3DA

#FFDA6B#FFDA6B

Pairings

Black#000000

#8090C2#8090C2

#C29080#C29080

#B1C280#B1C280

Matte Black#1A1A1A

White Smoke#F5F5F5

Ecru

CSS Utilities

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

About Ecru Color

Related Color Guides

WCAG Accessibility

Similar Colors

Color Harmonies

Variants

Pairings