Colors · value from the xkcd color survey (2010)

Burnt orange color: hex code #C04E01, RGB and palettes

Burnt orange is #C04E01 (RGB 192, 78, 1), the value people most often called burnt orange in the xkcd color survey: a deep orange with a brown, rusty edge. White on it, or it on white, measures 4.84:1.

By Paul Gunder. Every value is computed from published standards; see how ColorPlum works.

Updated November 10, 2026

ColorPlum swatchBurnt orangemedium-dark, saturated orange

HEX: #C04E01
RGB: rgb(192, 78, 1)
HSL: hsl(24, 99%, 38%)

Best text on it: white at 4.84:1

Build a palette Make a gradient Check contrast Wallpaper

Burnt orange#C04E01

Every code for Burnt orange

HEX#C04E01
RGBrgb(192, 78, 1)
HSLhsl(24, 99%, 38%)
HSV24°, 99%, 75%
CMYK0%, 59%, 99%, 25%
Lablab(48.5% 44.7 58.7)
OKLCHoklch(56.6% 0.162 44.7)
Decimal12602881

Tints, shades and tones

From white to black in 10% steps, with Burnt orange in the middle. Tap a code to copy it.

90%#F9EDE6
80%#F2DCCC
70%#ECCAB3
60%#E6B899
50%#E0A780
40%#D99567
30%#D3834D
20%#CD7134
10%#C6601A
Base#C04E01
10%#AD4601
20%#9A3E01
30%#863701
40%#732F01
50%#602701
60%#4D1F00
70%#3A1700
80%#261000
90%#130800

Tones (mixed with gray)

10%#BA530E
20%#B3581A
30%#AD5D27
40%#A66234
50%#A06741
60%#9A6C4D
70%#93715A
80%#8D7667
90%#867B73

Matching colors

Complementary

#C04E01
#0173C0

Analogous

#C00114
#C04E01
#C0AD01

Triadic

#C04E01
#01C04E
#4E01C0

Split complementary

#C04E01
#01C0AE
#0113C0

Tetradic (square)

#C04E01
#14C001
#0173C0
#AE01C0

Monochromatic

#281000
#742F01
#C04E01
#FE7010
#FE9D5C

Burnt orange in 3D color space

OKLab, the space ColorPlum does its math in: lightness runs up the pole, hue goes around it and saturation grows outward. The faint shell is every color a screen can show (saturation is drawn wider than lightness so hues separate). Drag to turn it.

Burnt orange with its complement, its triad and its tint and shade

Burnt orange
Triad #01C04E
Triad #4E01C0
Complement
50% tint
50% shade

Burnt orange in use

New collectionAutumn edit

Card body text stays dark for reading; burnt orange carries the header and the button.

Shop nowTag

Headline in Burnt orange

A paragraph with a link set in this color, which is dark enough for text on white.

How it looks with color-vision deficiency

A simulation (Machado and colleagues, 2009) of how the color and its complement read without one type of cone.

Typical color vision#C04E01
Protanopia (no red cones)#6F6100
Deuteranopia (no green cones)#8B7B00
Tritanopia (no blue cones)#D43042

Contrast and readability

Pairing	Ratio	WCAG 2.2
as text on white	4.84:1	AA AA large AAA
as text on black	4.33:1	AA AA large AAA
white text on it	4.84:1	AA AA large AAA
black text on it	4.33:1	AA AA large AAA
on your background	4.23:1	AA AA large AAA

Try a background

Export

:root {
  --burnt-orange: #c04e01;
  --burnt-orange-rgb: 192 78 1;
  --burnt-orange-on: #ffffff;
}

On this page

Burnt orange is an orange that has been darkened toward brown, as if toasted. CSS has no burnt orange keyword, so this page follows the xkcd survey, in which volunteers typed names for swatches. The shade they most often called "burnt orange" is #C04E01.

What the codes mean

In RGB, burnt orange is 192, 78, 1: strong red, a bit over a third of green, and almost no blue. In HSL that is hue 24°, 99% saturation and 38% lightness. The lighter, softer cousin of this hue is peach. The CMYK estimate is 0%, 59%, 99%, 25%.

The survey list has several close cousins: "brick orange" (#C14A09, 0.9 away), "dark orange" (#C65102, 1.4) and "rust orange" (#C45508, 1.7). In CSS the nearest names are sienna (#A0522D), 6.2 away, and chocolate (#D2691E), 7.0 away, so neither is a close match and the hex code is the safer route. The darker end of the family is copper.

Using burnt orange well

Text on it: white measures 4.84:1, which clears the 4.5:1 AA line. Black on it is 4.33:1, which falls just below.
As text: burnt orange on white is the same 4.84:1, so it works for headings and links on a white page.
Shades: the 70% shade, #3A1700, is nearly black brown. Burnt orange against it reaches only 3.32:1, so keep that pair for graphics and large display type.
Pairings: the complement is a strong blue, #0173C0. Cream, olive, navy and charcoal all suit it, and the analogous strip runs from red through orange to a yellow-green.

Worked example

A recreational soccer league is printing a team poster for a fall season and wants burnt orange as the main color. A full orange banner with white headline text gives 4.84:1, enough for large type and passable for the schedule line below it. If the schedule uses cream (#F5EBDC) on the orange instead, the ratio drops to 4.10:1, below AA for small text, so keep white for the small print. For the sponsor strip, use the 80% tint, #F2DCCC, as the background, and the dark brown for text. Check the pairs in the panel above before sending the file to print.

Burnt orange versus rust and pumpkin

Rust is redder and darker, pumpkin is brighter and cleaner, and burnt orange sits between them. Autumn designs often use all three. Browse the fall palettes for them side by side with deep reds and golden yellows.

Tones (mixed with gray)

What the codes mean

Using burnt orange well

Worked example

Burnt orange versus rust and pumpkin

Sources