Shades of brown
Shades of brown can be produced by combining red, yellow, and black pigments, or by a combination of orange and black—illustrated in the color box. The RGB color model, that generates all colors on computer and television screens, makes brown by combining red and green light at relatively low intensities, with green light being in a lesser proportion than red light. Brown color names are often imprecise, and some shades, such as beige, can refer to lighter rather than darker shades of yellow and red. Such colors are less saturated than colors perceived to be orange. Browns are usually described as light or dark, reddish, yellowish, or gray-brown. There are no standardized names for shades of brown; the same shade may have different names on different color lists, and sometimes one name can refer to several very different colors. The X11 color list of web colors has seventeen different shades of brown, but the complete list of browns is much longer.
Brown colors are typically desaturated shades of reds, oranges, and yellows which are created on computer and television screens using the RGB color model and in printing with the CMYK color model. Browns can also be created by mixing two complementary colors from the RYB color model. In theory, such combinations should produce black, but produce brown because most commercially available blue pigments tend to be comparatively weaker; the stronger red and yellow colors prevail, thus creating brown tones.
Displayed here are some common brown shades. Some of them are associated with soil, rock, or vegetation and are thus also classifiable among the earth tones.
Red-brown (web color "brown")
The web color called "brown" is displayed as shown.The historical and traditional name for this color is red-brown.
The color shown above at the top right at the head of this article is the color normally and traditionally regarded as brown—a medium dark orange. Its h code is 30, which signifies a shade of orange. The color to the immediate right that was chosen as the web color "brown"—a medium dark red—is the color traditionally called red-brown. That this color is a shade of red and not orange can be easily ascertained by inspecting its h code, which is 0, signifying a shade of red.
The first recorded use of red-brown as a color name in English was in 1682.
Brown (RYB)
Displayed at right is the color that is called brown in the RYB color model. It is an equal mix of red, yellow and blue.Additional variations of brown
Beaver
Beaver is a shade of brown representative of the color of a beaver. At a hue of 22, it is classified as an orange-brown.The first recorded use of beaver as a color name in English was in 1705.
The color "beaver" was formulated as one of the Crayola colors in 1998.
Etymologically, it's believed that the words "brown" and "beaver" ultimately stem from the same root word.
Beige
Beige is a pale sandy brown color representative of the color of unbleached wool. At a hue of 60, it is classified as a yellow-brown.Bister
Bister is an dark grayish shade of brown derived from the pigment of the same name.Bister is a pigment that is made from soot, hence why it can also be called soot brown. The traditional method for making the pigment is to burn wood (usually beechwood to make the soot, then boiling it and diluting it with water.
Buff
Buff is a pale yellow-brown color that got its name from the color of buffed leather. At a hue of 28, it is classified as an orange-brown.According to the Oxford English Dictionary, buff as a descriptor of a color was first used in the London Gazette of 1686, describing a uniform to be "A Red Coat with a Buff-colour'd lining".
Burnt umber
Burnt umber is made by heating raw umber, which dehydrates the iron oxides and changes them partially to the more reddish hematite. It is used for both oil and water color paint. At a hue of 9, it is classified as a red-brown.The first recorded use of burnt umber as a color name in English was in 1650.
Chestnut
Displayed at right is the color chestnut. At a hue of 10, it is classified as a red-brown.Chocolate
The color chocolate has a hue of 31, and is classified as an orange-brown.Cigar brown
Cigar brown is a brown shade resembling the color of cigars.Cocoa brown
Displayed at right is the color cocoa brown. At a hue of 25, it is classified as an orange-brown.Dark brown
Dark brown is a dark tone of color brown. At a hue of 19, it is classified as a black-brown.Desert sand
The color desert sand is displayed at right. At a hue of 19, it is classified as an orange-brown.It may be publicly regarded as a deep shade of beige. It is a pale tint of a color called desert.
The color name "desert" was first used in 1920.
Khaki
The web color khaki has a hue of 37, and is classified as an orange-brown. This example matches the color designated as khaki in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color, the standard for color nomenclature before the introduction of computers.The first recorded use of khaki as a color name in English was in 1848.
Kobicha (Brown-nose)
The color kobicha is displayed at right. At a hue of 28, it is classified as an orange-brown.It is one of the Japanese traditional colors that has been in use since 660 AD in the form of various dyes used in designing kimono.
The name kobicha comes from the Japanese for the color of a type of kelp tea, but the word was often used as a synonym for a form of flattery in a curious parallel with the English usage brown nosing.
Manhattan
Manhattan is a pale light grayish brown color.Maroon
Displayed at right is the web color called maroon in HTML/CSS and it is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word marron, or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown".Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate is a moderate shade of brown representing the color of milk chocolate.Ocher
Ocher is an orangish shade of brown derived from the clay earth pigment of the same name that ranges in color from yellow to deep orange or brown.Ocher is also any clay that is colored with iron oxide derived during the extraction of tin and copper.
Peru
The web color Peru has a hue of 30, and is classified as an orange-brown.This color was originally called Peruvian brown with the first recorded use in 1924 of Peruvian brown as a color name in English.
The color name was changed to peru in 1987, when this color was formulated as one of the X11 colors, which in the early 1990s became known as the X11 web colors.
Raw umber
This version of the color raw umber has a hue of 33, and is classified as an orange-brown.Rosy brown
Displayed here is the web color rosy brown. At a hue of 359, it is classified as a red-brown.The color name rosy brown first came into use in 1987, when this color was formulated as one of the X11 colors, which in the early 1990s became known as the X11 web colors.
Russet
Russet is a dark brown color with a reddish-orange tinge. At a hue of 26, it is classified as an orange-brown.The first recorded use of russet as a color name in English was in 1562.
The name of the color derives from russet, a coarse cloth made of wool and dyed with woad and madder to give it a subdued gray or reddish-brown shade. By the statute of 1363, poor English people were required to wear russet.
Russet, a color of fall, is often associated with sorrow or grave seriousness. Anticipating a lifetime of regret, Shakespeare's character Biron says: "Henceforth my wooing mind shall be express'd / In russet yeas and honest kersey noes."
Sable
Sable is a shade of brown representative of the color of a sable. The color sable is best described as a copper-blonde metallic brown.Saddle Brown
An X11 color, Saddle Brown is a mid brown common for the stained leather of a saddle.Sandy brown
Sandy brown is a pale shade of brown. Sandy brown is one of the web colors. At a hue of 28, it is classified as an orange-brown.As its name suggests, it is a shade of brown which is similar to the color of some sands.
The color name sandy brown first came into use in 1987, when this color was formulated as one of the X11 colors, which in the early 1990s became known as the X11 web colors.
Sepia
Sepia is a reddish-brown color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.Smokey topaz
Displayed at right is the color smokey topaz. At a hue of exactly 15, it is classified as a red-brown or orange-brown. It can also be called a vermilion-brown.This color was formulated by Crayola in 1994 as one of the colors in the Gem Tones set.
Tan
Tan is a pale tone of brown. At a hue of 34, it is classified as an orange-brown.The name is derived from tannum used in the tanning of leather.
The first recorded use of tan as a color name in English was in the year 1590.
Taupe
The color taupe is a representation of the average color of the fur of the French mole. At a hue of 30, it is classified as an orange-brown.The color displayed at right matches the color sample called taupe referenced below in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color.
The first use of "taupe" as a color name in English was in the early 19th century.