Beige Color Palette
Beige is hex #F5F5DC, rgb(245, 245, 220). Beige is a pale sandy yellow-white, named after undyed wool. It is the classic warm neutral and an easy base for earthy palettes.
By Mohamed Farhan · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Beige color codes
Reading the beige color codes
The hex code #F5F5DC is three pairs of base-16 numbers for red, green and blue. F5 is 245, F5 is 245 and DC is 220, each on a scale from 0 to 255. That is why the same color is written rgb(245, 245, 220) in CSS. The red channel is the strongest here, which is what gives beige its yellow-orange character.
HSL describes the same color the way people think about it. A hue of 60 degrees places beige in the yellow-orange part of the color wheel. Saturation of 56% makes it moderately saturated, and lightness of 91% makes it a very light color. HSL is the easiest format to adjust by hand: keep the hue, then raise or lower lightness to create tints and shades that stay in the same family.
For print, the approximate CMYK mix is 0% cyan, 0% magenta, 10% yellow and 4% black. Screen and print colors never match perfectly, because monitors emit light while ink absorbs it, so always proof a printed sample before committing to beige for packaging or stationery. See MDN's guide to CSS color values for every format browsers accept.
Beige shades and tints
A full 50 to 950 scale built around #F5F5DC, so you can use beige for backgrounds, borders, buttons and text without leaving the family. Click any shade to copy it.
// tailwind.config.js
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
"beige": {
50: "#FAFAED",
100: "#F5F5DC",
200: "#E1E1C8",
300: "#CCCCB5",
400: "#B8B8A1",
500: "#A4A48E",
600: "#8F8F7A",
700: "#7B7B66",
800: "#676753",
900: "#52523F",
950: "#3E3E2C",
},
},
},
}:root {
--beige-50: #FAFAED;
--beige-100: #F5F5DC;
--beige-200: #E1E1C8;
--beige-300: #CCCCB5;
--beige-400: #B8B8A1;
--beige-500: #A4A48E;
--beige-600: #8F8F7A;
--beige-700: #7B7B66;
--beige-800: #676753;
--beige-900: #52523F;
--beige-950: #3E3E2C;
}A shade-by-shade guide to beige
The 50 to 950 scale above follows the same structure as Tailwind's built-in palettes, so each step has a natural job. The lightest steps, 50 (#FAFAED) and 100 (#F5F5DC), are page and card backgrounds: they carry the beige mood without competing with content. Steps 200 (#E1E1C8) and 300 (#CCCCB5) suit borders, dividers, hover states and selected rows.
The middle of the scale, 400 to 600, is where beige is most recognizable, so use it for brand moments, illustrations and primary buttons. White text reaches the 4.5:1 body-text contrast minimum from step 800 upward, so use step 800 or darker when a button label needs to be white. Near-black text stays readable on steps 50 to 600.
The darkest steps, 800 (#676753) through 950 (#3E3E2C), make headings, body text and dark-mode surfaces that stay clearly related to beige. Using step 900 or 950 for text instead of pure black is one of the simplest ways to make an interface feel designed rather than default.
Colors that go with beige
How the beige color combinations work
Complementary. Directly across the color wheel from beige is #DCDCF5, which sits closest to lavender among common named colors. Complementary pairs create the strongest contrast of hue, so use the second color sparingly, for a single call to action or highlight, rather than in equal amounts.
Analogous. #F5E9DC and #E9F5DC sit 30 degrees either side of beige. Analogous palettes feel calm and cohesive because the colors share undertones; they are ideal for illustrations, gradients and backgrounds where you want harmony more than contrast.
Triadic and split complementary. The triadic set (#DCF5F5 and #F5DCF5) is evenly spaced around the wheel and feels playful; the second color is closest to lavender. The split complementary set (#DCE9F5 and #E9DCF5) keeps much of the complementary contrast but is easier to balance, which makes it a good choice for data visualization and multi-category tags.
Monochromatic. The monochromatic set runs from #F6F6DF to #D5D56D. A single-hue palette is the safest way to build a calm, premium interface: rely on lightness for hierarchy, then add one neutral and one accent if you need emphasis.
Beige compared with similar colors
cream (#FFFDD0) is about as light and more saturated, and shares almost the same hue. Choose cream if you need more weight and contrast; choose beige if you want its specific balance of brightness and color.
champagne (#F7E7CE) is about as light and more saturated, and leans back the wheel toward orange. Choose champagne if you need more weight and contrast; choose beige if you want its specific balance of brightness and color.
ivory (#FFFFF0) is lighter (97% vs 91% lightness) and more saturated, and shares almost the same hue. Choose ivory if you want a softer, airier version; choose beige if you want its specific balance of brightness and color.
Beige in a real interface
Swatches only tell half the story. Here beige carries the primary action, with tints from its own scale for the surface and panels.
Weekly summary
Revenue grew 12% this week. Three invoices are waiting for approval.
Using beige in UI: buttons, text, backgrounds and dark mode
- Buttons. White labels on beige only reach 1.11:1, so use dark text (18.98:1 with black) or a deeper shade for the button.
- Text. Avoid beige for body text on white; use step 800 or darker for links and headings that need to read as beige.
- Backgrounds. Use steps 50 and 100 for large areas and keep the base color for smaller surfaces. Big blocks of a moderately saturated very light color draw attention, so give them a reason, like a hero section or pricing highlight.
- Dark mode. Steps 900 and 950 make a dark surface tinted with beige. On dark backgrounds the base color often needs a lighter step (300 or 400) to keep enough contrast for icons and borders, as required by WCAG non-text contrast.
- States. Shift one step darker for hover and two steps darker for pressed. Keep focus rings in a contrasting color so keyboard users can always see them.
Contrast and accessibility
AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text. AAA needs 7:1.
Color contrast is measured as a ratio from 1:1 (no contrast) to 21:1 (black on white). Beige scores 1.11:1 against white (Fail) and 18.98:1 against black (AAA). The WCAG 2.1 contrast guideline asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, which is why the shade guide above recommends specific steps for text and labels.
Contrast is only half of accessibility. Around 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of color vision deficiency, so never use beige alone to signal meaning such as success, error or selection. Pair it with an icon, a label or a change in weight.
What beige means
Warm neutrals like beige, cream and ivory feel calm, soft and timeless. They are the quiet base that lets other colors carry the message.
Beige comes from the French word for natural, undyed wool. It became the archetypal neutral of the 20th century, used everywhere from trench coats to interiors.
Off-white and cream backgrounds reduce glare compared with pure white. Keep text dark enough: light neutrals can make mid-grey text unreadable.
Where beige works best
- Interior design
- Minimalist fashion
- Natural products
- Warm website backgrounds
How to style beige
Beige pairs with brown, olive, navy, white and terracotta. Use it for backgrounds and large surfaces with dark text. To avoid a dated look, combine beige with one confident accent color and crisp typography.
Build a UI with beige
Inspo AI generates a full React + Tailwind screen using #F5F5DC as the brand color, grounded in real shipped designs.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Beige · History and definition of beige.
- WCAG 2.1: Contrast (Minimum) · The W3C rule behind the 4.5:1 and 3:1 thresholds used on this page.
- WCAG 2.1: Use of Color · Why color should never be the only way information is shown.
- MDN: CSS color values · Reference for hex, rgb() and hsl() syntax.
- Tailwind CSS: Customizing colors · How to add a custom color scale to your theme.
Similar colors
Questions people ask
What is the hex code for beige?
The hex code for beige used on this page is #F5F5DC. In RGB that is rgb(245, 245, 220), and in HSL it is hsl(60, 56%, 91%).
What colors go well with beige?
Beige pairs well with #D9C9A8, #FFFFFF, #5B4E3C (the Undyed palette above). Its complementary color is #DCDCF5, and analogous colors are #F5E9DC and #E9F5DC.
Is beige a warm or cool color?
Beige is a warm color. Its hue sits at 60 degrees on the color wheel with 56% saturation.
Can I use beige for text?
Beige has a contrast ratio of 1.11:1 against white and 18.98:1 against black. Body text needs at least 4.5:1, so it works as a background behind dark text, but not as text on white.
What does beige mean?
Warm neutrals like beige, cream and ivory feel calm, soft and timeless. They are the quiet base that lets other colors carry the message. Beige in particular is used for interior design and minimalist fashion.
How do I use beige in Tailwind CSS?
Use an arbitrary value like bg-[#F5F5DC] for a one-off, or add the 50-950 scale from this page to theme.extend.colors in tailwind.config.js and use classes like bg-beige-500 and text-beige-900.
↘ Building Inspo AI | AI-Powered Design Research & Builder Platform | Design Engineer.