Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Espresso

Espresso is a dark and earth tone orange color with HEX #4B3621. According to Colors Encyclopedia, it has RGB 75, 54, 33, HSL 30, 39%, 21%, warm temperature, and is useful for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces.

#4B3621 orange warm darkearth-tone
HEX #4B3621
RGB rgb(75, 54, 33)
HSL hsl(30 39% 21%)
CMYK cmyk(0, 28, 56, 71)
Luminance 0.0424
Contrast Black 1.85:1White 11.36:1

CSS Utilities

--color-espresso: #4B3621;
.bg-espresso { background-color: #4B3621; }
.text-espresso { color: #4B3621; }
Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

Perfect for CSS, design systems, automation, and AI ingestion.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
Luminance0.0424
Black text1.85:1AA Fail
White text11.36:1AA Pass
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
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Color systems
{
  "hex": "#4B3621",
  "rgb": [
    75,
    54,
    33
  ],
  "hsl": [
    30,
    39,
    21
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    28,
    56,
    71
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0424,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.85,
    "white": 11.36
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ]
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#21364A",
  "analogous": [
    "#4A2121",
    "#4A4A21"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#214A36",
    "#36214A"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#214A21",
    "#21364A",
    "#4A214A"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#214A4A",
    "#21214A"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#8A633D",
    "#4B3621",
    "#0B0805"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#8A633D",
  "dark": "#0B0805",
  "saturated": "#563615",
  "desaturated": "#3F362C",
  "pastel": "#917559",
  "neon": "#944A00"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#21364A",
    "#4A2121",
    "#4A4A21"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#3F362C",
    "#8A633D"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#FFFFFF"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#8A633D",
    "#3F362C"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "pine-bark",
    "taupe",
    "bark",
    "peat",
    "walnut"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "espresso"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "espresso-vs-pine-bark",
    "espresso-vs-taupe"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/orange",
    "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark",
    "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/espresso",
    "/wcag/espresso",
    "/css/colors/espresso",
    "/hex/4b3621"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/orange",
      "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
      "/colors/by-tone/dark",
      "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/espresso"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/pine-bark",
      "/colors/taupe",
      "/colors/bark",
      "/colors/peat",
      "/colors/walnut",
      "/compare/espresso-vs-pine-bark",
      "/compare/espresso-vs-taupe",
      "/harmonies/espresso",
      "/wcag/espresso",
      "/css/colors/espresso",
      "/hex/4b3621"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "espresso",
  "name": "Espresso",
  "hex": "#4B3621",
  "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": "orange",
  "temperature": "warm",
  "tone": [
    "dark",
    "earth-tone"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "orange",
    "warm",
    "dark",
    "earth-tone",
    "backgrounds",
    "typography",
    "product-surfaces",
    "restraint",
    "clarity",
    "balance"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    75,
    54,
    33
  ],
  "hsl": [
    30,
    39,
    21
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    28,
    56,
    71
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0424,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.85,
    "white": 11.36
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#21364A",
    "analogous": [
      "#4A2121",
      "#4A4A21"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#214A36",
      "#36214A"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#214A21",
      "#21364A",
      "#4A214A"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#214A4A",
      "#21214A"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#8A633D",
      "#4B3621",
      "#0B0805"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#8A633D",
    "dark": "#0B0805",
    "saturated": "#563615",
    "desaturated": "#3F362C",
    "pastel": "#917559",
    "neon": "#944A00"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-espresso: #4B3621;",
    "utility": ".bg-espresso { background-color: #4B3621; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-espresso { color: #4B3621; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "pine-bark",
    "taupe",
    "bark",
    "peat",
    "walnut"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "espresso"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "espresso-vs-pine-bark",
    "espresso-vs-taupe"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/orange",
    "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark",
    "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/espresso",
    "/wcag/espresso",
    "/css/colors/espresso",
    "/hex/4b3621"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/orange",
      "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
      "/colors/by-tone/dark",
      "/colors/by-tone/earth-tone"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/espresso"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/pine-bark",
      "/colors/taupe",
      "/colors/bark",
      "/colors/peat",
      "/colors/walnut",
      "/compare/espresso-vs-pine-bark",
      "/compare/espresso-vs-taupe",
      "/harmonies/espresso",
      "/wcag/espresso",
      "/css/colors/espresso",
      "/hex/4b3621"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#21364A",
      "#4A2121",
      "#4A4A21"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#3F362C",
      "#8A633D"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#FFFFFF"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#8A633D",
      "#3F362C"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Color meaning and use

About Espresso Color

Espresso sits in the orange family with warm temperature and dark and earth tone visual character. Espresso 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, Espresso is most useful for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, especially when paired with white text for stronger contrast.

Related Color Guides

Orange color familyBrowse named orange colors and compare nearby swatches.Warm colorsExplore colors with warm temperature behavior.Dark colorsFind colors with dark visual character.Earth Tone colorsFind colors with earth tone visual character.Espresso accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #4B3621.Espresso CSS utilitiesUse Espresso in CSS variables and utility classes.#4B3621 HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Espresso paletteOpen the generated palette based on Espresso.Espresso harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Espresso against black and white text.

Black text1.85:1AA Fail
White text11.36:1AA Pass
AA text options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5
AAA text options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5
Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Similar Colors

Pine Bark#4A3728
Taupe#483C32
Bark#5B3A29
Peat#3B2F2F
Walnut#5C4033

Color Harmonies

#21364A#21364A
#4A2121#4A2121
#4A4A21#4A4A21
#214A36#214A36
#36214A#36214A
Open full Espresso harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#8A633D#8A633D
#0B0805#0B0805
#563615#563615
#3F362C#3F362C
#917559#917559
#944A00#944A00

Pairings

White#FFFFFF
#21364A#21364A
#4A2121#4A2121
#4A4A21#4A4A21
Matte Black#1A1A1A
White Smoke#F5F5F5