Showa era
Light Brown Drab & Carmine Red
Plate 35 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Carmine Red.
#b59392
red · 10 palettes
Light Brown Drab
About Light Brown Drab
Light Brown Drab is a mid-tone, near-neutral red tone. Its hex value is #b59392 — that is
RGB 181, 147, 146, or HSL 2°, 19%, 64%.
It holds 7.6:1 contrast against dark, so Light Brown Drab works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.8:1; on black 7.6:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Light Brown Drab appears in 10 combinations — most often paired with Turquoise Green, Deep Slate Olive and Carmine Red.
Colours that go with Light Brown Drab
From a standard colour wheel, Light Brown Drab anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#b59392 #92B4B5
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#b59392 #B592A3 #B5A592
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#b59392 #92B593 #9392B5
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#b59392 #92B5A4 #92A3B5
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Light Brown Drab
Light Brown Drab is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 2°, 19%, 64%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (7.6:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#92B4B5) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#B592A3 and #B5A592) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Light Brown Drab off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Pentel
Fude Touch brush sign pen
Listed on Amazon as Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen, Black, Felt Pen Like Brush Stroke (SES15C-A) 3 Pieces
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Palettes with Light Brown Drab
Light Brown Drab appears in 10 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Light Brown Drab
- What is the hex code for Light Brown Drab?
- Light Brown Drab is #b59392. It appears in 10 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Light Brown Drab look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Light Brown Drab (#b59392) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 2.78:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 7.55:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Light Brown Drab come from?
- Light Brown Drab is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued red pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Light Brown Drab in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#b59392) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.
- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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