Every Shade of Brown - Recipes, Hex Codes, and Swatches
Brown is not one colour - it is a family of warm, low-saturation neutrals ranging from pale beige to near-black espresso. Each shade has a different character depending on how much red, yellow, blue, and white it contains. Below you will find the 12 most-mixed shades, each with an exact recipe and the hex code for digital work.
Browns are best understood in two dimensions: warm vs cool (how much red/yellow vs blue it contains) and light vs dark (how much white vs black). Warm browns (chestnut, mahogany, sienna) lean toward the orange end of the spectrum. Cool browns (taupe, ash brown, driftwood) lean toward grey or green. Most decorating and painting decisions are really about choosing where on this warm-cool axis you want to land.
Dark Brown
#3E1F00Deep, rich brown for shadows, tree bark, dark wood. Add black sparingly.
Recipe: Red + Green, + drop of Black
Full guide with mixer →Light Brown
#B5651DA warm mid-tone brown. Caramel to golden-brown territory.
Recipe: Brown + White + extra Yellow
Full guide with mixer →Chocolate Brown
#7B3F00Classic chocolate - warm, rich, red-leaning brown.
Recipe: Red + Yellow (2:1) + small Blue
Full guide with mixer →Tan
#D2B48CSandy, pale warm brown. Common in skin tones, leather, sand.
Recipe: Red + Yellow (1:2) + White
Full guide with mixer →Beige
#F5F0DCOff-white with a warm yellow-brown tint.
Recipe: Yellow + White (1:3) + small Red
Full guide with mixer →Burnt Umber
#8A3324Dark, earthy red-brown. Classic earth pigment from iron oxide.
Recipe: Red + Yellow + Black (5:3:2)
Full guide with mixer →Chestnut
#954535Warm, medium brown with a slight reddish tint - the colour of a horse.
Recipe: Red + Yellow + Blue (3:2:1)
Full guide with mixer →Mahogany
#C04000Bold, warm red-brown. Rich wood tone.
Recipe: Red + Yellow + small Blue (4:3:1)
Full guide with mixer →Sepia
#704214Dark, warm brown with a touch of orange. Classic photograph tone.
Recipe: Burnt Sienna + Black (3:1)
Full guide with mixer →Taupe
#8B7355Neutral grey-brown. Cool, understated, versatile in interiors.
Recipe: Brown + Blue + White (3:1:2)
Full guide with mixer →Coffee
#6F4E37Mid-dark brown with depth. Closest to fresh-brewed coffee.
Recipe: Red + Yellow + Blue (2:1:1), darken
Full guide with mixer →Raw Umber
#735340Earthy, slightly greenish brown. Essential underpainting pigment.
Recipe: Yellow Ochre + Black + small Red
Full guide with mixer →Walnut
#5C3317Cool, deep wood-grain brown. Mid-dark with a slight blue undertone.
Recipe: Red + Yellow + Blue (1:1:1.5)
Full guide with mixer →Caramel
#C68642Warm golden-amber brown. The colour of melted sugar and butterscotch.
Recipe: Yellow + Red + White (3:1:1)
Full guide with mixer →Sienna
#A0522DWarm earth-red. Burnt sienna territory - landscape rocks and Tuscan walls.
Recipe: Red + Yellow + Blue (5:3:1)
Full guide with mixer →Espresso
#3C2F2FVery dark warm brown - almost black. The deepest coffee tone.
Recipe: Chocolate base + Blue + Black
Full guide with mixer →Auburn
#A52A2AStrong red-brown - the auburn hair colour. Warm and saturated.
Recipe: Red + Yellow + Blue (5:2:1)
Full guide with mixer →How Browns Are Categorised
Warm Browns (red and yellow dominant)
- Chestnut, Mahogany, Sienna, Burnt Umber, Terracotta
- Use for: autumn palettes, wood tones, warm interiors, skin tones
Cool Browns (blue-grey component)
- Taupe, Ash Brown, Driftwood, Stone, Greige
- Use for: contemporary interiors, shadow tones, neutral backgrounds
Light Browns (white added)
- Tan, Beige, Caramel, Sand, Wheat, Linen
- Use for: skin tones, beach themes, parchment, natural materials
Dark Browns (reduced value)
- Chocolate, Coffee, Espresso, Dark Umber, Walnut
- Use for: shadows, dark wood, rich food imagery, hair tones
Want to mix a specific shade yourself?
Open the Live Colour MixerEducational colour reference. Hex codes and recipes are approximations. Actual pigment results vary by brand and opacity.