Shades of brown

Shades of brown can be produced by combining red, yellow, and black[1] pigments, or by a combination of orange and black—as can be seen in the color box at right. In the RGB color model used to create all the colors on computer and television screens, brown is made by combining red and green light at different intensities. Brown color names are often not very precise, and some shades, such as beige, can refer to a wide variety of colors, including shades of yellow or red. Browns are usually described as light or dark, reddish, yellowish, or gray-brown. There are no standardized names for shades of brown; the same shade may have different names on different color lists, and sometimes the one name (such as beige or puce) can refer to several very different colors. The X11 color list of web colors lists seventeen different shades of brown, but the complete list of browns is much longer.

Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#964B00
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(150, 75, 0)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 50, 100, 41)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(30°, 100%, 59%)
Source	^[Unsourced]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)
Some shades of Brown
Red Brown (X11)
Pale Brown
Medium Brown
Dark Brown

Brown colors are dark or muted shades of reds, oranges, and yellows which are created on computer and television screens using the RGB color model and in printing with the CMYK color model. Browns can also be created by mixing two complementary colors from the RYB color model (combining all three primary colors). In theory, such combinations should produce black, but produce brown because most commercially available blue pigments tend to be comparatively weaker; the stronger red and yellow colors prevail, thus creating the following tones. Below is a list of some of the common brown colors.

Red-brown (web color "brown")

Red-Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#A52A2A
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(165, 42, 42)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 75, 75, 35)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(0°, 75%, 65[2]%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Vivid red
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color called "brown" is displayed at right.

The historical and traditional name for this color is red-brown.

The color shown above at the top right at the head of this article (color #964B00) is the color normally and traditionally regarded as brown—a medium dark orange. Its h (hue) code is 30, which signifies a shade of orange. The color to the immediate right (color #A52A2A) that was chosen as the web color "brown"—a medium dark red—is the color traditionally called red-brown. That this color is a shade of red and not orange can be easily ascertained by inspecting its h (hue) code, which is 0, signifying a shade of red.

The first recorded use of red-brown as a color name in English was in 1682.[3]

Additional variations of brown

Beaver

Beaver
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#9F8170
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(159, 129, 112)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 19, 30, 38)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(22°, 30%, 62[4]%)
Source	Crayola
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Beaver is a shade of brown representative of the color of a beaver.

The first recorded use of beaver as a color name in English was in 1705.[5]

The color "beaver" was formulated as one of the Crayola colors in 1998.

Etymologically, it's believed that the words "brown" and "beaver" ultimately stem from the same root word.[6]

A North American beaver

Beige

Main article: Beige

Beige
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#F5F5DC
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(245, 245, 220)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 0, 10, 4)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(60°, 10%, 96%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Pale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Beige is a light tan color representative of the color of unbleached wool.

Wool just before processing

Buff

Main article: Buff (colour)

Buff
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#F0DC82
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(240, 220, 130)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 8, 46, 6)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(49°, 46%, 94%)
Source	Maerz and Paul
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Buff is a pale yellow-brown color that got its name from the color of buffed leather.[7]

Buff is the color of fine undyed leathers

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, buff as a descriptor of a color was first used in the London Gazette of 1686, describing a uniform to be "A Red Coat with a Buff-colour'd lining".[8]

Burnt umber

Burnt umber
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#8A3324
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(138, 51, 36)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 63, 74, 46)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(9°, 74%, 54%)
Source	Xona.com Color List
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong reddish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Burnt umber is made by heating raw umber, which dehydrates the iron oxides and changes them partially to the more reddish hematite. It is used for both oil and water color paint.

Vanadinite crystals showing burnt umber coloration

The first recorded use of burnt umber as a color name in English was in 1650.[9]

Chestnut

Main article: Chestnut (color)

Chestnut
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#954535
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(149, 69, 53)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 53, 64, 41)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(10°, 54%, 68%)
Source	Maerz and Paul
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong reddish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color chestnut.

Chestnuts can be found on the ground around chestnut trees.

Chocolate

Main articles: Chocolate (color), Black chocolate, and White chocolate

Chocolate
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#7B3F00
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(123, 63, 0)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 50, 86, 82)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(31°, 100%, 48[10]%)
Source	Maerz and Paul[11]
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color chocolate.

In food

• 
  Chocolate most commonly comes in three shades; dark (bottom), milk (middle), and white (top) varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration.

In numismatics

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a Chocolate Brown colored banknote of ₹10 denomination in January 2018 under Mahatma Gandhi New Series. The bank note measures 123 mm × 63 mm.

• 
  Indian 10 rupee note, obverse
• 
  Indian 10 rupee note, reverse

Cocoa brown

Cocoa Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#D2691E
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(210, 105, 30)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 50, 86, 18)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(25°, 86%, 82[12]%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Deep orange
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color cocoa brown.

Chocolate is created from the cocoa bean. A cacao tree with cocoa bean fruit pods (which are filled with cocoa beans inside of them) in various stages of ripening

Dark brown

Dark Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#5C4033
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(36, 25, 20)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(19°, 45%, 36%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Dark brown is a dark tone of color brown.

Desert sand

Main article: Desert sand (color)

Desert Sand
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#EDC9AF
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(237, 201, 175)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 17, 26, 8)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(19°, 26%, 92[13]%)
Source	Crayola
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Pale orange yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Desert landscape in Texas

The color desert sand is displayed at right. It may be regarded as a deep shade of beige. It is a pale tint of a color called desert. The color name "desert" was first used in 1920.[14]

Khaki

Khaki
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#C3B091
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(195, 176, 145)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 10, 26, 24)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(37°, 26%, 76%)
Source	HTML/CSS
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Grayish yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color khaki.

This is the web color called khaki in HTML/CSS.

The color shown at right matches the color designated as khaki in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color, the standard for color nomenclature before the introduction of computers.

Khaki cargo pants

The first recorded use of khaki as a color name in English was in 1848.[15]

Kobicha (Brown-nose)

Kobicha
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#6B4423
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(107, 68, 35)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 36, 67, 58)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(28°, 67%, 42[16]%)
Source	JTC
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color kobicha (brown-nose) is displayed at right. It is one of the Japanese traditional colors that has been in use since 660 AD in the form of various dyes used in designing kimonos.[17][18]

The name kobicha comes from the Japanese for the color of a type of kelp tea, but the word was often used as a synonym for a form of flattery[19][20] in a curious parallel with the English usage brown nosing.

Peru

Peru
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#CD853F
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(205, 133, 63)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 35, 69, 20)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(30°, 69%, 80[21]%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate orange
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the web color Peru.

This color was originally called Peruvian brown.

The first recorded use of Peruvian brown as a color name in English was in 1924.[22]

The color name was changed to peru in 1987, when this color was formulated as one of the X11 colors, which in the early 1990s became known as the X11 web colors.

Raw umber

Raw Umber
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#826644
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(130, 102, 68)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 22, 48, 49)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(33°, 48%, 51[23]%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate yellowish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at the right is one version of the color raw umber.

Raw umber pigment

Rosy brown

Rosy Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#BC8F8F
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(188, 143, 143)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 24, 24, 26)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(359°, 25%, 63%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light grayish red
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the web color rosy brown.

The color name rosy brown first came into use in 1987, when this color was formulated as one of the X11 colors, which in the early 1990s became known as the X11 web colors.

Russet

Main article: Russet (color)

Russet
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#80461B
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(128, 70, 27)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 45, 79, 50)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(26°, 79%, 50[24]%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Russet is a dark brown color with a reddish-orange tinge.

The first recorded use of russet as a color name in English was in 1562.[25]

The name of the color derives from russet, a coarse cloth made of wool and dyed with woad and madder to give it a subdued gray or reddish-brown shade. By the statute of 1363, poor English people were required to wear russet.[26]

Russet, a color of fall, is often associated with sorrow or grave seriousness. Anticipating a lifetime of regret, Shakespeare's character Biron says: "Henceforth my wooing mind shall be express'd / In russet yeas and honest kersey noes." (Love's Labour's Lost, Act V, Scene 1)

Sandy brown

Sandy Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#F4A460
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(244, 164, 96)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 33, 61, 4)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(28°, 61%, 96[27]%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate orange
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Sandy brown is a pale shade of brown. Sandy brown is one of the web colors. As its name suggests, it is a shade of brown which is similar to the color of some sands.

Sand dunes in Namibia

The color name sandy brown first came into use in 1987, when this color was formulated as one of the X11 colors, which in the early 1990s became known as the X11 web colors.

Smokey topaz

Smokey Topaz
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#832A0D
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(131, 42, 13)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 68, 90, 49)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(15°, 90%, 51[28]%)
Source	Crayola
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Strong reddish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Smoky topaz crystals

Displayed at right is the color smokey topaz. This color was formulated by Crayola in 1994 as one of the colors in the Gem Tones set.

Tan

Main article: Tan (color)

Tan
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#D2B48C
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(210, 180, 140)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 14, 33, 18)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(34°, 33%, 82%)
Source	X11
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Grayish yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Tan is a pale tone of brown. The name is derived from tannum (oak bark) used in the tanning of leather.[29]

The first recorded use of tan as a color name in English was in the year 1590.[30]

Taupe

Main article: Taupe

Taupe
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#483C32
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(72, 60, 50)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 60, 60, 30)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(30°, 17%, 34%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Dark grayish yellowish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color taupe is a representation of the average color of the fur of the French mole.[31]

The color displayed at right matches the color sample called taupe referenced below in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color.

A European mole. Taupe is French for mole.

The first use of "taupe" as a color name in English was in the early 19th century (exact year is not known).[32]

Walnut brown

Walnut Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#5C5248
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(92, 82, 72)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 11, 22, 64)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(30°, 22%, 36%)
Source
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Moderate olive brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

A bunch of walnuts

Walnut brown is a dark brown color; a representation of the color of walnuts.

Wenge

Wenge
#645452

Wenge wood

Wenge refers to the distinctive color of the dark-colored wood that is the product of Millettia laurentii, a legume tree from Africa.

Wood brown

Wood Brown
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#C19A6B
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(193, 154, 107)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 20, 45, 24)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(33°, 45%, 76[33]%)
Source	Ridgway
ISCC–NBS descriptor	Light yellowish brown
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Wood brown is a color that resembles wood.

The source of this color is in both the 1886 book Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists, Compendium of Useful Knowledge for Ornithologists, and the 1912 book Color Standards and Color Nomenclature by Robert Ridgway. This color list was intended for biology and botany and both are now on the Internet.

A wooden tree stump

This color name has been in use since 1886 (Ridgway).

See also

• Pantone 448 C
• Lists of colors

Citations

1. "brown". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #A52A2A (Red-Brown):
3. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190; Color Sample of Red-Brown: Page 33 Plate 5 Color Sample F11 (The color red-brown is listed on page 190 as a variation of the color Bole, under its original 17th-century name, “brown-red”)
4. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #9F8170 (Beaver):
5. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page190; Color Sample of Beaver: Page 53 Plate 15 Color Sample A6—The color shown above matches the color sample in the book
6. Harper, Douglas. "beaver". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
7. Paterson, Ian (2003), A Dictionary of Colour (1st paperback ed.), London: Thorogood (published 2004), p. 73, ISBN 1-85418-375-3, OCLC 60411025
8. "buff, adj.1". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
9. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 191; Color Sample of Burnt Umber: Page 53 Plate 15 Color Sample A12
10. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #7B3F00 (Chocolate):
11. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called chocolate in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color chocolate is displayed on page 39, Plate 8, Color Sample H10.
12. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #D2691E (Cocoa brown):
13. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #EDC9AF (Desert Sand):
14. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 194; Color Sample of Desert: Page 47 Plate 12 Color Sample I7
15. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 197; Color Sample of Khaki: Page 49 Plate 13 Color Sample J7
16. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #6B4423 (Brown-nose (Flattery)):
17. Nagasaki, Seiki. Nihon no dentoshoku : sono shikimei to shikicho, Seigensha, 2001. ISBN 4-916094-53-0
18. Nihon Shikisai Gakkai. Shinpen shikisai kagaku handobukku, Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai, 1985. ISBN 4-13-061000-7
19. Nagasaki, Seiki. Nihon no dentoshoku : sono shikimei to shikicho, Seigensha, 2001. ISBN 4-916094-53-0
20. Nihon Shikisai Gakkai. Shinpen shikisai kagaku handobukku, Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai, 1985. ISBN 4-13-061000-7
21. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #CD853F (Peru):
22. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 201; Color Sample of Peruvian Brown: Page 49 Plate 13 Color Sample L11—The color Peru shown above matches the color sample in the book
23. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #826644 (Raw Umber):
24. web.Forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to color #80461B (Russet):
25. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 203; Color Sample of Russet: Page 37 Plate 14 Color Sample I12
26. R. H. Britnell (1986), Growth and decline in Colchester, 1300–1525, Cambridge University Press, pp. 55–77, ISBN 978-0-521-30572-3
27. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #F4A460 (Sandy Brown):
28. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #832A0D (Smokey Topaz):
29. "tan". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
30. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 205
31. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill page 205; Discussion of Color Taupe, page 183.
32. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 205; Discussion of Color Taupe, Page 183; Color Sample of Taupe: Page 55 Plate 16 Color Sample A6
33. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #C19A6B (Wood Brown):