RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western fashion, puce symbolizes a blend of elegance and subtlety, often associated with vintage aesthetics and the Victorian era. However, in some cultures, the color can carry negative connotations, linked to decay or unpleasantness.
The term 'puce' emerged in the 18th century, with its first recorded use in English in 1787. Its origins trace back to the French word for 'flea', highlighting the color's historical association with the uninviting aspects of hygiene and domestic life.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Puce. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 35 Browns →Nine steps of Puce by lightness — from #6A4750 (darkest) to #E4C1CA (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Puce at 165° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Puce.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Puce 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: #CC8899; color-mix(in srgb, #CC8899 70%, white) 345°, 33%, 80% 0, 33, 25, 20 13404313 #CC9999 How Puce appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.