Sand Color Palette
Sand Color Palette built around #C2B280, a dark warm neutral anchor (WCAG contrast 9.97:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #ECE2CA | |
| surface | #C8B98C | |
| text | #645A39 | |
| text-muted | #8F98B3 | |
| primary | #C2B280 | |
| secondary | #8F98B3 | |
| accent | #C8B98C |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #ece2ca;
--surface: #c8b98c;
--text: #645a39;
--text-muted: #8f98b3;
--primary: #c2b280;
--secondary: #8f98b3;
--accent: #c8b98c;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #C2B280 | #ECE2CA | #645A39 | #8F98B3 | #C8B98C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #C2B280 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| #ECE2CA | 1.6 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| #645A39 | 3.3 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 3.5 |
| #8F98B3 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| #C8B98C | 1.1 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the sand color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #C2B280, #ECE2CA, #645A39, #8F98B3, #C8B98C.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.