#8E5C34
#C8905C
#E8D0A8
#241206
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

English Breakfast Color Palette

#8E5C34 · #C8905C · #E8D0A8 · #241206

Fail
WCAG Grade
3.2:1
Contrast Ratio
930
Saves
2,510
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #8E5C34 as the background. Use #C8905C as the primary accent. Use #E8D0A8 as secondary. Use #241206 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: English Breakfast — bold, classic, warming.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the English Breakfast color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 13.7%
142, 92, 52 0%, 35%, 63%, 44% 27°, 46%, 38%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 33.0%
200, 144, 92 0%, 28%, 54%, 22% 29°, 50%, 57%
Secondary
Luminance: 65.1%
232, 208, 168 0%, 10%, 28%, 9% 38°, 58%, 78%
Body Text
Luminance: 0.8%
36, 18, 6 0%, 50%, 83%, 86% 24°, 71%, 8%

English Breakfast Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the English Breakfast palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#8E5C34 gently saturated orange
#C8905C gently saturated orange
#E8D0A8 gently saturated orange
#241206 saturated orange

English Breakfast Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#241206 on #E8D0A8
Aa Sample Text
12.04:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#E8D0A8 on #241206
Aa Sample Text
12.04:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#241206 on #C8905C
Aa Sample Text
6.53:1 AA Body text, UI
#C8905C on #241206
Aa Sample Text
6.53:1 AA Body text, UI
#E8D0A8 on #8E5C34
Aa Sample Text
3.76:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#8E5C34 on #E8D0A8
Aa Sample Text
3.76:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#241206 on #8E5C34
Aa Sample Text
3.20:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#8E5C34 on #241206
Aa Sample Text
3.20:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#C8905C on #8E5C34
Aa Sample Text
2.04:1 Fail Decorative use only
#8E5C34 on #C8905C
Aa Sample Text
2.04:1 Fail Decorative use only
#E8D0A8 on #C8905C
Aa Sample Text
1.84:1 Fail Decorative use only
#C8905C on #E8D0A8
Aa Sample Text
1.84:1 Fail Decorative use only

English Breakfast Color Psychology & Meaning

English breakfast is a bold blend of black teas that brews strong and malty, and this palette is that deep amber with warm golden tones. It feels robust and comforting, the color of the tea that starts mornings across the British Isles and beyond.

Color Harmony: Analogous Scheme

The English Breakfast palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.

History & Design Context

The English breakfast blend was popularized in the 1800s, possibly created in Edinburgh or New York, and it combined Assam, Ceylon, and Kenyan teas for strength. It became the default morning tea of the English-speaking world.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the deep amber for bold surfaces, the malty tones for accents, and the cream for text contrast. The near-black grounds everything.

Industries This Palette Suits

Tea brands, breakfast tea, cafes, hotels, grocery.

Colors That Pair Well With English Breakfast

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

cyan-blue

directly opposite #C8905C on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

yellow

30° beside #C8905C — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using English Breakfast Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #C8905C for small UI elements on #8E5C34 — at 2.0:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Don't set body copy in #241206 on #8E5C34 — 3.2:1 fails WCAG AA; keep it for large decorative headings only.
  • Don't use #E8D0A8 behind body text — this light tone works better for surfaces, badges and dividers than for reading areas.

How to Implement the English Breakfast Color Scheme

To use this English Breakfast color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #8E5C34 for the main background and #C8905C for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #241206 and #8E5C34 is 3.20:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.

English Breakfast Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the English Breakfast color palette?

The English Breakfast palette contains #8E5C34, #C8905C, #E8D0A8, #241206. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the English Breakfast color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #241206 on #E8D0A8 reaches 12.0:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the English Breakfast palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #5B93C8, #BDBC65, #EFEDEB extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the English Breakfast palette create?

English Breakfast reads as bold, classic, warming. Gently saturated orange drives the personality, grounded by gently saturated orange — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the English Breakfast color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the English Breakfast palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the English Breakfast palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from English Breakfast's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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