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X11 named colors

Brown4

brown4 · #8B2323

HEX

#8B2323

RGB

rgb(139, 35, 35)

CMYK

cmyk(0%, 75%, 75%, 45%)

HSL

hsl(0, 60%, 34%)

LAB

lab(31.4, 43.5, 26.4)

What is Brown4?

Brown4 is the brown4 reference in the X11 named colors. Its sRGB value is #8B2323 (rgb 139, 35, 35). It sits in the red family. Historical X Window System color names — the numbered 1-4 lightness variants of the classic xorg-server rgb.txt palette. See disclaimer for accuracy and trademark notes.

Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Brown4 as a background.

Black text on this color

Sample text · 2.36 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

White text on this color

Sample text · 8.89 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

Shades, tints & tonal scale of Brown4

An 11-step tonal scale derived from Brown4 (#8B2323). Click any swatch to copy its HEX. Use these as a starting point for design tokens, hover states, and disabled states in a design system.

Copied #F6EDED

50

#F6EDED

#F6EDED

Copied #ECDCDC

100

#ECDCDC

#ECDCDC

Copied #DAB9B9

200

#DAB9B9

#DAB9B9

Copied #C59191

300

#C59191

#C59191

Copied #A85A5A

400

#A85A5A

#A85A5A

Copied #8B2323

500

#8B2323

#8B2323

Copied #761E1E

600

#761E1E

#761E1E

Copied #5A1717

700

#5A1717

#5A1717

Copied #3F1010

800

#3F1010

#3F1010

Copied #230909

900

#230909

#230909

Copied #110404

950

#110404

#110404

Lighter tints (mixed with white)

Copied #A47171

15%

#A47171

Copied #B89898

30%

#B89898

Copied #CAB5B5

45%

#CAB5B5

Copied #DACCCC

60%

#DACCCC

Copied #E9E1E1

75%

#E9E1E1

Darker shades (mixed with black)

Copied #812020

15%

#812020

Copied #761C1C

30%

#761C1C

Copied #691818

45%

#691818

Copied #5A1313

60%

#5A1313

Copied #480D0D

75%

#480D0D

Color harmonies for Brown4

Classic color-theory harmonies derived from rotating the hue of Brown4. Use these to build accent palettes, brand systems, and accessible UI color pairings.

Complementary

180° opposite — strongest contrast

Copied #8B2323

#8B2323

#8B2323

Copied #238B8B

#238B8B

#238B8B

Triadic

Three colors 120° apart

Copied #8B2323

#8B2323

#8B2323

Copied #238B23

#238B23

#238B23

Copied #23238B

#23238B

#23238B

Analogous

Two neighbors ±30° on the wheel

Copied #8B2357

#8B2357

#8B2357

Copied #8B2323

#8B2323

#8B2323

Copied #8B5723

#8B5723

#8B5723

Split-complementary

Base + two colors flanking its complement

Copied #8B2323

#8B2323

#8B2323

Copied #238B57

#238B57

#238B57

Copied #23578B

#23578B

#23578B

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs

Copied #8B2323

#8B2323

#8B2323

Copied #8B8B23

#8B8B23

#8B8B23

Copied #238B8B

#238B8B

#238B8B

Copied #23238B

#23238B

#23238B

Square

Four colors evenly spaced 90° apart

Copied #8B2323

#8B2323

#8B2323

Copied #578B23

#578B23

#578B23

Copied #238B8B

#238B8B

#238B8B

Copied #57238B

#57238B

#57238B

Brown4 in every color space

Full conversion of Brown4 across the color spaces designers and developers actually use — including OKLCH (the perceptually-uniform space that powers Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4) and HWB.

HEX

#8B2323

RGB

rgb(139, 35, 35)

CMYK

cmyk(0%, 75%, 75%, 45%)

HSL

hsl(0, 60%, 34%)

HSV

hsv(0, 75%, 55%)

HWB

hwb(0 14% 45%)

CIE Lab

lab(31.4 43.5 26.4)

OKLCH

oklch(42.5% 0.140 25.4)

XYZ (D65)

xyz(11.55, 6.81, 2.30)

Copy-ready code for Brown4

Drop-in snippets for CSS, Tailwind, Sass, iOS Swift, and Android XML. Click the copy button on any snippet to put it on your clipboard.

CSS

color: #8B2323;
background-color: #8B2323;

CSS variable

:root {
  --color-brown4: #8B2323;
}

Tailwind config

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  'brown4': '#8B2323',
}

Sass

$color-brown4: #8B2323;

Swift UIColor

UIColor(red: 0.545, green: 0.137, blue: 0.137, alpha: 1.0)

Android XML

<color name="brown4">#8B2323</color>

Closest match in every color system

The nearest Brown4 equivalent in every other color system on this site, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance. Useful when translating between design-system, web-standard, and industrial color references.

Closest in X11 named colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest entries within the same collection.

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantone references. Cross-system matching is approximate — see disclaimer.

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references for industrial coating cross-reference.

Copied #9B111E

RAL 3003

#9B111E

Ruby red

Copied #781F19

RAL 3011

#781F19

Brown red

Copied #A2231D

RAL 3002

#A2231D

Carmine red

Copied #75151E

RAL 3004

#75151E

Purple red

Copied #A52019

RAL 3001

#A52019

Signal red

Copied #A12312

RAL 3013

#A12312

Tomato red

FAQ about Brown4

What is the HEX code for Brown4?

Brown4 (brown4) has the HEX code #8B2323. In RGB it is rgb(139, 35, 35), and in CMYK it is cmyk(0%, 75%, 75%, 45%).

What is the OKLCH value of Brown4?

Brown4 converts to oklch(0.425 0.140 25.4). OKLCH is the perceptually uniform color space used by Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4.

Is Brown4 accessible for body text?

Used as a background, Brown4 has a contrast ratio of 2.36:1 with black text and 8.89:1 with white text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text. The current recommendation is to use white text and verify in real UI context.

What is the closest Pantone to Brown4?

The closest Pantone reference to Brown4 by ΔE2000 perceptual distance is Pantone 187 C (#A6192E). Cross-system Pantone matching is approximate; for color-critical print work, verify with a physical Pantone guide.

What is the closest RAL color to Brown4?

The closest RAL Classic reference to Brown4 by ΔE2000 distance is RAL 3003 (Ruby red, #9B111E). RAL is a German industrial coating standard commonly used for paint, powder coat, and architectural specification.

What is the complementary color of Brown4?

The complementary color (180° opposite on the HSL color wheel) of Brown4 is #238B8B. Use it for high-contrast accents, error states, or call-to-action pairings.

Data provenance & source

X11 named colors (xorg rgb.txt)

The historical X11 color name list shipped in the xorg-server rgb.txt file. Roughly 550 entries covering classic computing color names like 'PapayaWhip', 'MediumAquamarine', and 'DarkSlateGray'. Many CSS named colors originate here. Use as a reference for legacy and creative color names. Most modern CSS implementations accept these names directly.

Source type
derived
Confidence
high
License
MIT/X11 license (X Consortium)
Last reviewed
2026-05-24

Workflow tags

x11
named-color
legacy
red

X11 colors are sRGB digital values from a 1980s color system. For print, convert to a process-appropriate color and proof against substrate.

X11 named colors · Brown4 — #8B2323 | PantoneTools