About Color Hex #85574b

The color Root Beer, with hexadecimal code #85574b, sits in the orange color family, typically linked to enthusiasm, creativity, and warmth. Orange hues stimulate appetite and social interaction, which is why food brands and community platforms favor them. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Softness, Delicacy, Calmness, Relaxation and Friendliness. Orange is associated with spirituality and courage in some cultures, such as in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Western cultures, it often represents autumn, harvest, and creativity. At just 28% saturation, this near-neutral shade carries only a subtle hint of its underlying hue, making it versatile for large surfaces and professional contexts. With a mid-range lightness of 41%, it offers excellent versatility—readable as text on light backgrounds and visible as an element on dark ones. This color is ideal for designs that aim to express Softness, Delicacy, Calmness, Relaxation, or Friendliness. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.

The RGB values for Root Beer are (133, 87, 75), providing a combination of red: 133, green: 87, and blue: 75. In HSL format, it has a hue of 12.00°, saturation of 28.00%, and lightness of 41.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 12.00°, saturation of 44.00%, and value of 52.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 0.00%, magenta: 35.00%, yellow: 44.00%, and black: 48.00%.

The calculated luminance of #85574b is 0.123, offering a brightness level suitable for various design requirements.

This color is not part of the web-safe color palette. The closest web-safe color to this is the color HEX #996633. Its contrast ratio is 3.46:1 against black and 6.07:1 against white. It works well on light backgrounds but may be challenging on darker ones.

In terms of color temperature, #85574b reads as warm. When it comes to accessibility, testing against standard guidelines suggests that using white text meets typical WCAG contrast standards. Additionally, the ideal foreground color for improved legibility on #85574b is white.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #85574b appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #85574B

Root Beer (#85574B) belongs to the Vermilion color family.

With moderate saturation and balanced lightness, this muted tone feels sophisticated and understated. Muted hues like this excel in editorial design, professional portfolios, and interior spaces that seek calm refinement.

Historical Background

Vermilion—a brilliant red-orange pigment—was synthesized from mercury sulfide (cinnabar) as early as 8000 BC in Anatolia. Chinese artisans perfected synthetic vermilion around the 4th century BC, using it in lacquerware, seals, and religious manuscripts. In medieval Europe, vermilion illuminated the capital letters of sacred texts, literally giving us the word 'rubric' (from Latin ruber, red).

Design & Usage Tips

Vermilion bridges the intensity of red with the warmth of orange, making it ideal for food and beverage branding where appetite appeal matters. It pairs well with dark olive green for autumnal themes or with navy blue for a classic nautical palette. Avoid using vermilion for error states, as users may confuse it with orange warnings.

Positioned on the warm side of the color wheel (hue 12°), it naturally draws the eye and creates a sense of closeness—making it effective for calls to action, food photography, and hospitality branding. At 28% saturation, the color has a muted, sophisticated quality that pairs well with bolder accents. It works as a background, a border, or a secondary element in layered compositions.

Psychological Impact

Vermilion projects confidence, vitality, and creative ambition. Its warm red-orange lean makes it feel more approachable and less aggressive than pure red, which is why lifestyle and travel brands favor it for invitations to adventure.

With a mid-range lightness of 41%, this tone is highly versatile: dark enough to serve as body text on white, yet light enough to stand out on charcoal or navy backgrounds.

Creative Design Ideas

Use vermilion as a header accent stripe above charcoal photography for editorial impact. In interior design, a single vermilion accent wall energizes a neutral room. For digital products, vermilion hover states on cards create engaging micro-interactions.

#85574B Color Conversions

Every way to write Root Beer — copy Root Beer as RGB, HSL, HSV, HWB, CMYK, OKLCH, OKLab, CIELAB, LCH, XYZ or a decimal integer. One-tap copy on every format; tap on any card to learn what it is and when to use it.

12 formats
HEX Web
#85574B

Hexadecimal is the web’s universal color notation — two digits each for red, green and blue. Drop it straight into HTML, CSS or any design tool.

RGB Screen
rgb(133, 87, 75)

RGB is the additive Red-Green-Blue model every screen uses to emit light. The default choice for websites, apps and on-screen UI.

HSL Web
hsl(12, 28%, 41%)

HSL breaks a color into Hue, Saturation and Lightness — the most intuitive way to lighten, darken or mute a color in CSS.

HSV HSB Design
hsv(12, 44%, 52%)

HSV (also called HSB) maps Hue, Saturation and Value/Brightness. It is the model behind the color pickers in Photoshop, Figma and most design apps.

HWB CSS 4
hwb(12 29% 48%)

HWB blends a pure hue with Whiteness and Blackness — a painter-friendly model added in CSS Color 4 for quick tints and shades.

CMYK Print
cmyk(0%, 35%, 44%, 48%)

CMYK is the subtractive Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black ink model. Use these values when preparing artwork for a printer or commercial press.

OKLCH Modern
oklch(50.41% 0.065 35.28)

OKLCH is a modern, perceptually-uniform space (Lightness, Chroma, Hue). It powers smooth gradients and accessible palettes in today’s CSS.

OKLab Modern
oklab(50.41% 0.053 0.037)

OKLab is the Cartesian form of OKLCH — ideal for blending and interpolating colors without the muddy midpoints older spaces produce.

CIELAB L*a*b* Perceptual
L: 41.71, a: 17.51, b: 14.77

CIELAB is a device-independent, perceptually-uniform space. It is the standard for measuring color difference (ΔE) and matching across devices.

LCH Perceptual
L: 41.71, C: 22.91, H: 40.15

LCH is CIELAB in cylindrical form — Lightness, Chroma and Hue — letting you adjust vividness and hue while staying perceptually even.

XYZ CIE Science
X: 14.35, Y: 12.31, Z: 8.28

CIE XYZ is the 1931 master space that underpins every other model here — the scientific bridge used to convert between color systems.

Decimal int Code
8738635

The 24-bit integer value of the color — handy for databases, APIs, game engines and low-level graphics code.

RGB Color Percentages for #85574b

RGB Color Percentages for Root Beer (HEX Code: #85574b) display the relative contribution of Red, Green, and Blue in forming the color. Understanding these percentages provides insight into the color's visual balance and primary components.

This color is primarily dominated by Red, making up 45.08% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
45.08%
Green:
29.49%
Blue:
25.42%

This analysis highlights the influence of each primary color, offering a deeper understanding of the visual characteristics of Root Beer.

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #85574b

CMYK Ink Levels for Root Beer (HEX Code: #85574b) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Root Beer prominently features Key, reflecting its dominant color characteristic. This information is invaluable for optimizing ink usage and achieving precise color results in printed materials.

The exact CMYK values are: Cyan: 0%, Magenta: 34.59%, Yellow: 43.61%, and Black: 47.84%.

Luminance & Contrast for #85574B

Relative luminance gauges how bright Root Beer is, while the WCAG contrast ratios show how legible black or white text is on it — and which accessibility levels (AA / AAA) it passes.

Relative luminance 0.123
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 3.46:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 6.07:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #85574B

Copy-and-paste CSS for Root Beer — backgrounds, text, borders and a custom property. Each line is ready to drop into your stylesheet.

Background background-color: #85574B;
Text color: #85574B;
Border border: 2px solid #85574B;
RGB background-color: rgb(133, 87, 75);
HSL background-color: hsl(12, 28%, 41%);
Variable --color: #85574B;

#85574b Monochrome Palette

The Monochrome Palette consists of shades created by adjusting the brightness. These include lighter, original, and darker shades of the color. This layout helps to visualize the color's range and its potential use in design.

#f3eeed
#e1d5d2
#cebcb7
#bca39c
#aa8981
#977066
#85574b Original
#714a40
#5d3d35
#493029
#35231e
#211613
#0d0908

#85574b Complementary Palette

The Complementary Palette is made up of two colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. These colors create high contrast and vibrant designs, making them perfect for attention-grabbing elements and dynamic visuals.

#85574b Original
#4b7a86

#85574b Analogic Palette

The Analogic Palette consists of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. These colors typically create harmonious and subtle designs, often used to evoke calmness and unity in your visual projects.

#85574b Original
#86744b
#864b5d
#7a864b
#864b7a
#5d864b
#744b86

#85574b Triadic Palette

The Triadic Palette is made up of three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination provides a vibrant and balanced color scheme, often used for dynamic and energetic designs while maintaining harmony.

#85574b Original
#4b8657
#574b86

#85574b Quad Palette

The Quad Palette, also known as tetradic, consists of four colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination offers a diverse and bold color scheme, ideal for creating rich, complex designs with multiple accents while still maintaining balance.

#85574b Original
#5d864b
#4b7a86
#744b86

Color Blindness Simulation for #85574b

Colors are perceived differently by individuals with various forms of color blindness. Use the dropdown below to see how this color may look through the eyes of someone with color vision deficiency. Explore how Root Beer (#85574b) might appear to people with different visual experiences, and gain deeper insights into color accessibility for your designs!

Each color box displays a "Friendly" or "Not Friendly" tag in the bottom-right corner. A "Friendly" tag indicates that the color difference is distinguishable to individuals with the specific type of color blindness. Conversely, a "Not Friendly" tag means that the color difference might not be distinguishable, potentially causing accessibility issues in your design.

Normal Vision

Deuteranopia (Green Weakness)

Friendly

Protanopia (Red Weakness)

Friendly

Tritanopia (Blue-Yellow Weakness)

Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Friendly

Color Harmonies for #85574b

Color harmonies refer to the visually pleasing combinations of colors that are derived from specific relationships on the color wheel. These harmonious schemes, such as complementary, triadic, and analogous colors, create a balanced and engaging visual experience in design.

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Tetradic (Quad)

#85574B Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #85574B — each one nudges the brightness, richness, or shade a little while still feeling like the same color. Use the buttons on any swatch to copy its hex or open its full color page.

#996655 Chutney
#774444 Wine Cellar
#aa7766 Equestrienne
#663333 Rampant Rhubarb
#885544 Annatto
#775555 Veil of Cinder
#885555 Veil of Cinder
#775544 Brownstone

Colors Similar to #85574b

These colors are close neighbours of #85574B in the RGB color space. Each subtle variation can produce a noticeably different mood in your design while remaining harmonious with the original Orange tone.

#86574b Root Beer
#85584b Root Beer
#85574c Root Beer
#84574b Root Beer
#85564b Root Beer
#85574a Root Beer
#96574b Grand Canyon
#85684b Sneaky Sesame
#85575c Veil of Cinder
#74574b Hold Your Horses
#85464b Red Elegance
#85573a Dark Wood

Looking for more Orange shades? Browse Orange colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Root Beer (#85574b)

Discover a vibrant gallery of images that not only showcase the captivating hue of Root Beer, but also embody its unique mood and personality. Each carefully curated photo is selected to highlight the richness and diversity of this color, offering inspiration for design, art, and creative projects.