Terracotta Color Palette
Terracotta Color Palette built around #C96F4A, a dark warm orange anchor (WCAG contrast 5.86:1 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 | #F9C7B3 | |
| surface | #D17D5B | |
| text | #70351D | |
| text-muted | #C96F4A | |
| primary | #C96F4A | |
| secondary | #6798AC | |
| accent | #D17D5B |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #f9c7b3;
--surface: #d17d5b;
--text: #70351d;
--text-muted: #c96f4a;
--primary: #c96f4a;
--secondary: #6798ac;
--accent: #d17d5b;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #C96F4A | #F9C7B3 | #70351D | #6798AC | #D17D5B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #C96F4A | 1.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| #F9C7B3 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| #70351D | 2.6 | 6.3 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
| #6798AC | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| #D17D5B | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 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 terracotta color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #C96F4A, #F9C7B3, #70351D, #6798AC, #D17D5B.
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.