Dutch Cocoa
Dutch Cocoa is a muted red shade with RGB(140, 112, 106) and hex code #8C706A, reading as medium-dark at a glance.
HEX
#8C706A
RGB
140, 112, 106
HSL
11°, 14%, 48%
CMYK
0%, 20%, 24%, 45%
LAB
50, 10, 8
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Description
- •Dutch Cocoa (#8C706A) is a warm-toned red color defined by RGB values of 140, 112, 106 and HSL values of 11 degrees hue, 14% saturation, and 48% lightness. At 48% lightness it appears medium-dark, and its muted character makes it well suited for backgrounds, text, or supporting UI elements. It pairs naturally with its complementary shade #6A868C for high-contrast schemes, or with the analogous tones #8C816A and #8C6A75 for a more harmonious palette.
Psychology
As a red shade, Dutch Cocoa tends to carry the general associations of that hue family: power, passion, danger, and urgency. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Hue family
red
Saturation level
muted
Lightness level
medium-dark
Temperature
warm
Because Dutch Cocoa is muted and medium-dark, it tends to feel calm and unobtrusive in a design context.
Meaning
Within the red family, colors like Dutch Cocoa are commonly associated with power, passion, danger, and urgency, though exact interpretation depends on cultural context and surrounding design elements.
Hue family
red
Common associations
power, passion, danger, and urgency
Temperature
warm
History
- 1Dutch Cocoa is a named point in a modern digital color palette rather than a documented historical pigment, but the red family it belongs to has a long design history. Red is one of the first colors humans evolved to distinguish and is commonly linked with energy, urgency, and appetite.
Color info
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Visual perception
- At HSL(11, 14%, 48%), Dutch Cocoa has a relative luminance of about 0.18 on a 0-1 scale, which can make it harder to distinguish for people with red-green color blindness if used alongside similarly saturated greens or reds; pair it with a distinct lightness or add non-color cues such as icons or labels.
Technology specific
- Dutch Cocoa (#8C706A) renders consistently on standard sRGB displays; on wider-gamut or uncalibrated screens, expect minor shifts in perceived saturation. For print reproduction, convert from RGB to CMYK and proof physically, since muted colors like this can shift noticeably between screen and print.
Guidance
Use Dutch Cocoa with black text for readability (contrast ratio approximately 4.6:1). It is versatile enough to use for larger surfaces such as backgrounds or cards.
Examples
web design
page backgrounds
branding
neutral brand background
UI design
card and panel backgrounds
body text or subtle fill
Purpose
Dutch Cocoa works well for backgrounds, body text, or supporting UI surfaces where subtlety matters, given its muted and medium-dark profile.
Benefits
visual contrast
pairs with black text for a WCAG contrast ratio of about 4.6:1
palette flexibility
combines with #6A868C (complementary) and #6A8C70/#706A8C (triadic) for varied schemes
brand consistency
reads as calm and neutral across most screens