Terra Cotta Color
Terra Cotta is a orange color with hex code #C9643B. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with terra cotta, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Terra Cotta Color Values
What Does Terra Cotta Mean?
Terra Cotta belongs to the orange family of colors. Orange splits the difference between red's urgency and yellow's cheer. Food brands live here because warm oranges read as appetizing, and autumn design would be lost without them. As a rule of thumb, orange feels friendlier than red and louder than yellow. Terra Cotta sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Terra Cotta is classified as a orange (nearest centroid: strong reddish orange, #D9603B). It is also known as Hashut Copper.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Terra Cotta
Terra Cotta and #3BA1C9 are complements, parked opposite each other on the wheel. Together they hit maximum contrast, so a rough 70/30 split keeps the pairing from shouting.
Analogous neighbors — #C93B5A and #C9AA3B, which sit beside terra cotta on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair terra cotta with triadic partners #3BC963 and #633BC9. All three sit evenly spaced around the wheel, so the scheme stays lively without clashing.
Build and test these combinations in our Color Wheel Tool or check text readability with the Contrast Checker.
Tints and Shades
Tints (lighter)
Shades (darker)
Similar Colors
- Terracotta —
#CA6641(Delta E 2) - Terracota —
#CB6843(Delta E 3) - Tuscany —
#BD5E2E(Delta E 5) - Red Damask —
#DA6A41(Delta E 6) - Adobe —
#BD6C48(Delta E 11)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #C9643B; }
.background { background-color: #C9643B; }
.border { border: 2px solid #C9643B; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #C9643B40; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for terra cotta?
Terra Cotta has the hex code #C9643B. In RGB notation it is rgb(201, 100, 59), in HSL it is hsl(17, 57%, 51%), and its OKLCH value is 0.616, 0.14, 41.8.
What does the color terra cotta mean?
Orange-family colors like terra cotta carry distinct psychological associations. Terra Cotta belongs to the orange family of colors. Orange splits the difference between red's urgency and yellow's cheer. Food brands live here because warm oranges read as appetizing, and autumn design would be lost without them. As a rule of thumb, orange feels friendlier than red and louder than yellow. Terra Cotta sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with terra cotta?
Terra Cotta has three easy routes: its complement #3BA1C9 for punch, its neighbors #C93B5A and #C9AA3B for something calmer, or triadic partners #3BC963 and #633BC9 when you want energy.
Is terra cotta a standard web color?
No — Terra Cotta is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #C9643B or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make terra cotta lighter or darker?
To lighten terra cotta, add white to create tints; to darken it, add black to create shades. The tints and shades table above shows five computed steps of each, from #F6E6DF (lightest tint) to #24110A (darkest shade).
About Terra Cotta
Terra Cotta is classified as a Orange in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Orange hue family. It has alternative names including Hashut Copper. The color is recognized by XKCD, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #C9643B to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.