Chestnut
Chestnut (#742802) is a dark, moderately saturated brown with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 20° and a lightness of 39%. Its moderate saturation keeps it lively without shouting.
About this color
What Chestnut looks like, feels like and where it works.
Description
Chestnut (#742802) is a dark, moderately saturated brown with a warm feel. It has a hue angle of 20° and a lightness of 39%. Its moderate saturation keeps it lively without shouting.
Psychology
Brown is earthy, dependable and warm. It feels natural and unpretentious, and pairs easily with cream, green and terracotta. As a dark shade, Chestnut feels weighty and serious.
Meaning
Brown stands for soil, wood, coffee and leather: comfort, craft and reliability.
Why use this color
Chestnut is an easy supporting color. It carries white text well, so it works as a button, header or badge background. Pair it with its tints and shades for a complete scale.
Applications
- Coffee, food and craft goods
- Interiors and furniture
- Outdoor and heritage brands
- Warm neutrals for text and borders
History
Earth pigments such as umber and sienna, named after Umbria and Siena, are among the oldest in use. Brown is also one of the oldest color words in English.
Accessibility
White text on Chestnut has a contrast ratio of 10.25:1 (AAA); black text has 2.04:1 (fails). WCAG AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface parts. Red and green are the pair most often confused in color blindness, so never use this color alone to mean success or error: add an icon or label.
Variations of Chestnut
Tailwind-style scale
Color harmonies of Chestnut
Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.
Color blindness simulator
These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.