Color Details and Palettes for #B46C3C

Details about the color Bourbon

Closest web-safe match: #CC6633

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 #B46C3C
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About Color Hex #b46c3c

The color Bourbon, with hexadecimal code #b46c3c, 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 Enthusiasm, Warmth, Motivation and Adventure. 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 50% saturation, this color is clearly chromatic yet balanced—colorful enough to be distinctive without overwhelming adjacent content. With a mid-range lightness of 47%, 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 Enthusiasm, Warmth, Motivation, or Adventure. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.

The RGB values for Bourbon are (180, 108, 60), providing a combination of red: 180, green: 108, and blue: 60. In HSL format, it has a hue of 24.00°, saturation of 50.00%, and lightness of 47.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 24.00°, saturation of 67.00%, and value of 71.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 0.00%, magenta: 40.00%, yellow: 67.00%, and black: 29.00%.

The calculated luminance of #b46c3c is 0.208, 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 #CC6633. Its contrast ratio is 5.15:1 against black and 4.08:1 against white. It works well on dark backgrounds but may be less readable on lighter ones.

In terms of color temperature, #b46c3c reads as warm. When it comes to accessibility, testing against standard guidelines suggests that using black text meets typical WCAG contrast standards. Additionally, the ideal foreground color for improved legibility on #b46c3c is black.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #b46c3c appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #B46C3C

Bourbon (#B46C3C) 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 24°), it naturally draws the eye and creates a sense of closeness—making it effective for calls to action, food photography, and hospitality branding. With 50% saturation, it occupies a comfortable middle ground: colorful enough to be distinctive, yet restrained enough for extended reading or large surface areas.

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 47%, 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.

#B46C3C Color Conversions

Every way to write Bourbon — copy Bourbon 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
#B46C3C

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(180, 108, 60)

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(24, 50%, 47%)

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(24, 67%, 71%)

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(24 24% 29%)

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%, 40%, 67%, 29%)

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(60.11% 0.111 52.67)

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

OKLab Modern
oklab(60.11% 0.068 0.089)

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: 52.68, a: 24.33, b: 38.43

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

LCH Perceptual
L: 52.68, C: 45.49, H: 57.67

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

XYZ CIE Science
X: 25.00, Y: 20.75, Z: 6.96

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
11824188

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

RGB Color Percentages for #b46c3c

RGB Color Percentages for Bourbon (HEX Code: #b46c3c) 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 51.72% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
51.72%
Green:
31.03%
Blue:
17.24%

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

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #b46c3c

CMYK Ink Levels for Bourbon (HEX Code: #b46c3c) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Bourbon prominently features Yellow, 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: 40%, Yellow: 66.67%, and Black: 29.41%.

Luminance & Contrast for #B46C3C

Relative luminance gauges how bright Bourbon 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 0.208
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 5.15:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 4.08:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #B46C3C

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

Background background-color: #B46C3C;
Text color: #B46C3C;
Border border: 2px solid #B46C3C;
RGB background-color: rgb(180, 108, 60);
HSL background-color: hsl(24, 50%, 47%);
Variable --color: #B46C3C;

#b46c3c 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.

#f8f0eb
#ecdace
#e1c4b1
#d6ae94
#cb9877
#bf8259
#b46c3c Original
#995c33
#7e4c2a
#633b21
#482b18
#2d1b0f
#120b06

#b46c3c 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.

#b46c3c Original
#3c84b4

#b46c3c 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.

#b46c3c Original
#b4a83c
#b43c48
#84b43c
#b43c84
#48b43c
#a83cb4

#b46c3c 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.

#b46c3c Original
#3cb46c
#6c3cb4

#b46c3c 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.

#b46c3c Original
#48b43c
#3c84b4
#a83cb4

Color Blindness Simulation for #b46c3c

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 Bourbon (#b46c3c) 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)

Not Friendly

Protanopia (Red Weakness)

Not Friendly

Tritanopia (Blue-Yellow Weakness)

Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Not Friendly

Color Harmonies for #b46c3c

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)

#B46C3C Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #B46C3C — 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.

#cc7744 Cork Wood
#aa5533 Garfield
#dd8855 Copperhead
#995522 Panela
#bb6633 Dwarven Bronze
#aa7744 Rocky Racoon
#aa7733 Butterbeer
#bb6644 Caramel Dream

Colors Similar to #b46c3c

These colors are close neighbours of #B46C3C 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.

#b56c3c Bourbon
#b46d3c Ginger Dough
#b46c3d Bourbon
#b36c3c Bourbon
#b46b3c Bourbon
#b46c3b Bourbon
#c56c3c Hot Caramel
#b47d3c Cut the Mustard
#b46c4d Clay
#a36c3c Eagle
#b45b3c Mars
#b46c2b Brown Alpaca

Looking for more Orange shades? Browse Orange colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Bourbon (#b46c3c)

Discover a vibrant gallery of images that not only showcase the captivating hue of Bourbon, 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.