RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In various cultures, sable symbolizes resilience and strength, particularly in heraldry where it represents constancy. While in the West it is associated with elegance and formality, in some Indigenous cultures, it may signify the connection to the earth and nature.
The term 'sable' can be traced back to the 14th century, deriving from the Old Russian word 'sablja', referring to the animal whose fur was highly sought after. This color gained prominence in the 16th century as a symbol of nobility, often used in royal garments and coats of arms.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Sable. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 35 Browns →Nine steps of Sable by lightness — from #3C3315 (darkest) to #B6AD90 (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Sable at 226° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Sable.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Sable anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on light backgrounds; fails on dark.
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: #736229; color-mix(in srgb, #736229 70%, white) 46°, 64%, 45% 0, 15, 64, 55 7561769 #666633 How Sable appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.