Taupe Color Palette
Taupe Color Palette built around #8B7D6B, a dark warm brown anchor (WCAG contrast 5.24:1 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 | #D5CEC4 | |
| surface | #968979 | |
| text | #4A4135 | |
| text-muted | #727A84 | |
| primary | #8B7D6B | |
| secondary | #727A84 | |
| accent | #968979 |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #d5cec4;
--surface: #968979;
--text: #4a4135;
--text-muted: #727a84;
--primary: #8b7d6b;
--secondary: #727a84;
--accent: #968979;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #8B7D6B | #D5CEC4 | #4A4135 | #727A84 | #968979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8B7D6B | 1.0 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| #D5CEC4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| #4A4135 | 2.5 | 6.4 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 2.9 |
| #727A84 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #968979 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 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 taupe color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #8B7D6B, #D5CEC4, #4A4135, #727A84, #968979.
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.