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Mocha 12 / 35 Browns Cinnamon
#483C32
Brown family

Taupe

Also known as: muted · earthy · subtle · rich · organic
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Hex #483C32
RGB rgb(72, 60, 50)
HSL hsl(27°, 18%, 24%)
CMYK 0 · 17 · 31 · 72
RAL RAL 6014 · Yellow Olive
NCS S 8000-N

RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.

Meaning

In Western design, taupe is often seen as a sophisticated and timeless color, symbolizing stability and reliability. However, in some Eastern cultures, taupe can evoke feelings of simplicity and modesty, contrasting its more luxurious connotations in the West.

The term 'taupe' emerged in the early 19th century, with its first recorded use in English dating back to 1835. The color gained prominence in fashion and interior design during the Victorian era when natural pigments derived from earth were prized for their understated elegance.

mutedearthysubtlerichorganic

The story of Taupe

Where the name and the color come from.

Taupe takes its name from the French word for "mole" — the small burrowing mammal — referring to the soft grey-brown of mole fur. The color sits exactly there: a neutral that is neither clearly grey nor clearly brown but a sophisticated blend of both.

Because it straddles two neutral families, taupe is prized for its versatility and its slightly indeterminate, expensive-looking quality. It is the neutral that designers reach for when beige feels too warm and grey feels too cold.

Where you'll see Taupe

The places, brands and moments that shaped this color.

Interior neutrals

Taupe is a go-to for walls, carpets and upholstery that need to feel warm and grounding without committing to brown or grey.

Cosmetics

Taupe eyeshadow and nail shades are makeup staples precisely because the grey-brown flatters and reads as effortlessly chic.

Fashion versatility

Taupe accessories and tailoring coordinate with nearly everything, a quiet workhorse of capsule wardrobes.

Using Taupe in design

How it behaves in interiors, fashion and branding.

Taupe is a warm-grey neutral that brings sophistication and flexibility. It grounds a palette like grey but with more warmth, making rooms feel calm and considered rather than cold. Its undertone — sometimes pinker, sometimes greener — determines which accents sing against it.

In branding it conveys understated, mature elegance, often used by interior, beauty and luxury labels that want neutrality with a little warmth.

What pairs with Taupe

Curated combinations — and exactly why each one works.

Taupe + White

Crisp white keeps taupe feeling clean and modern, a foundational neutral combination.

Taupe + Blush

Blush brings out taupe's warmer, pinker undertone for a soft, elegant scheme.

Taupe + Charcoal

Charcoal deepens taupe into a sophisticated tonal grey-brown palette.

Taupe + Navy Blue

Navy gives warm taupe a crisp, classic anchor with quiet contrast.

Similar colors

Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Taupe. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).

All 35 Browns →

Umber

#635147 · ΔE 10

Coffee

#6F4E37 · ΔE 16.6

Toffee

#906050 · ΔE 25.4

Khaki Brown

#8C7853 · ΔE 29.3

Shades & tints

Nine steps of Taupe by lightness — from #251F1A (darkest) to #A09A94 (lightest). Click any to copy.

-40% #251F1A
-30% #2E2620
-20% #372E26
-10% #3F352C
BASE #483C32
+15% #5E534B
+30% #746B63
+50% #8A827C
+70% #A09A94

Complementary

Sitting opposite Taupe at 207° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.

Steel Blue

#4682B4

Alice Blue

#F0F8FF

Payne's Gray

#536878

Prussian Blue

#003153

Palettes

Curated 5-color combinations featuring Taupe.

#483C32
#A8B400
#F5F5F5
#6D4C4C
#B2CC8D

Natural Harmony

Organic Calm
#483C32
#B0A99F
#222222
#E8CBA0
#C1B1A8

Elegant Earth

Warm Sophistication
#483C32
#7B6A4D
#FFFFFF
#AFAFAF
#C4BCA3

Timeless Comfort

Cozy Neutral

Taupe scale

A 50–900 tonal scale with Taupe anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.

50 #F0EFEF
100 #DEDCDA
200 #B9B5B1
300 #958E88
400 #6E655D
500 #483C32
600 #3B3129
700 #302821
800 #241E19
900 #181411

Accessibility

Works well as text on light backgrounds; fails on dark.

Aa Best text color: #FFFFFF · 10.67:1
Taupe as text on… Ratio AA AAA
Aa White background 10.67:1 Pass Pass
Aa Black background 1.97:1 Fail Fail

Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.

How to use #483C32

Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.

CSS color: #483C32;
CSS color-mix (lighten 30%) color-mix(in srgb, #483C32 70%, white)
HSV / HSB 27°, 31%, 28%
CMYK (print) 0, 17, 31, 72
Decimal 4734002
Nearest web-safe #333333

Color vision

How Taupe appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.

Normal vision

#483C32

Protanopia (no red)

#434334

Deuteranopia (no green)

#444435

Tritanopia (no blue)

#473637

Taupe FAQ

Quick answers to the questions people ask about Taupe.

Is taupe grey or brown?

Both — taupe is a grey-brown, sitting between the two. Some taupes lean greyer ("cool taupe"), others browner ("warm taupe"), but the defining feature is that blend, which is what makes it so versatile.

What is the difference between taupe, greige and beige?

Beige is a warm pale tan, greige is a grey-beige hybrid, and taupe is darker and more clearly grey-brown. In order of depth and greyness: beige, then greige, then taupe.

What colors go with taupe?

White and cream for freshness, blush and rose for warmth, charcoal and navy for grounding contrast, and sage or teal for a calm hint of color. Its neutrality lets it support almost any accent.

Mocha 12 / 35 Browns Cinnamon
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