RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western cultures, brass symbolizes warmth and durability, often linked to qualities such as resilience and resourcefulness. Contrastingly, in some Asian cultures, brass is viewed as a sign of wealth and prosperity, used in ceremonial contexts to invite good fortune.
The term 'brass' originates from the Old English word 'bræs', which referred to the alloy known since at least the 2nd century BCE. The Romans utilized brass extensively, and by the late 16th century, it became a popular material for crafting instruments and decorative objects.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Brass. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 29 Yellows →Nine steps of Brass by lightness — from #5E5622 (darkest) to #D9D19D (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Brass at 232° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Brass.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Brass anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on dark backgrounds; fails on light.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: #B5A642; color-mix(in srgb, #B5A642 70%, white) 52°, 64%, 71% 0, 8, 64, 29 11904578 #CC9933 How Brass appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.