Terracota Color
Terracota is a orange color with hex code #CB6843. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with terracota, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Terracota Color Values
What Does Terracota Mean?
Terracota 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. Terracota sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Terracota is classified as a orange (nearest centroid: moderate reddish orange, #CB6D51). It is also known as Terracotta.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Terracota
Terracota and #43A7CB 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 — #CB4363 and #CBAC43, which sit beside terracota on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair terracota with triadic partners #43CB67 and #6743CB. 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 1) - Terra Cotta —
#C9643B(Delta E 3) - Red Damask —
#DA6A41(Delta E 7) - Tuscany —
#BD5E2E(Delta E 7) - Adobe —
#BD6C48(Delta E 9)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #CB6843; }
.background { background-color: #CB6843; }
.border { border: 2px solid #CB6843; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #CB684340; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for terracota?
Terracota has the hex code #CB6843. In RGB notation it is rgb(203, 104, 67), in HSL it is hsl(16, 57%, 53%), and its OKLCH value is 0.626, 0.136, 40.7.
What does the color terracota mean?
Orange-family colors like terracota carry distinct psychological associations. Terracota 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. Terracota sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with terracota?
Terracota has three easy routes: its complement #43A7CB for punch, its neighbors #CB4363 and #CBAC43 for something calmer, or triadic partners #43CB67 and #6743CB when you want energy.
Is terracota a standard web color?
No — Terracota is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #CB6843 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make terracota lighter or darker?
To lighten terracota, 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 #F6E5DF (lightest tint) to #24110A (darkest shade).
About Terracota
Terracota is classified as a Orange in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Orange hue family. It has alternative names including Terracotta. The color is recognized by XKCD, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #CB6843 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.