Marsala color: code #955251

Marsala

#955251

Color codes

  • HEX#955251
  • RGBrgb(149, 82, 81)
  • HSLhsl(1, 30%, 45%)
  • HSVhsv(1, 46%, 58%)
  • CMYKcmyk(0%, 45%, 46%, 42%)
  • LABlab(42.8% 27.7 13)
  • OKLCHoklch(51.7% 0.09 21.5)

About the color Marsala

Marsala has the HEX code #955251, which corresponds to rgb(149, 82, 81) in the RGB model. On the color wheel its hue sits at 1°, with 30% saturation and 45% lightness (hsl(1, 30%, 45%)).

Because of its hue it reads as a warm color: it tends to feel energetic and close, and it visually “advances” in a composition.

As a background it calls for light text: white reaches a 5.82:1 contrast ratio on it, versus 3.60:1 for black.

For print, the approximate conversion is cmyk(0%, 45%, 46%, 42%). Always confirm with your printer’s color profile, because the result depends on paper and ink.

Lighter tints

Darker shades

Color combinations with Marsala

Complementary

#955251 · #509495

Analogous

#955072 · #955251 · #957450

Triadic

#955251 · #509551 · #515095

Tetradic

#955251 · #729550 · #509495 · #745095

Split-complementary

#955251 · #509574 · #507295

Monochromatic

#422424 · #743F3E · #955251 · #B87B7A · #D2ADAC

Marsala with white and black text

White text Aa Bb Cc 123
5.82:1 · AA
Black text Aa Bb Cc 123
3.60:1 · large text only

Test other pairs in the contrast checker

Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year

Marsala gained worldwide attention when Pantone named it Color of the Year for 2015, under the code 18-1438 Marsala. The name comes from the fortified wine of Sicily, and the shade follows suit: an earthy, brownish red somewhere between brick and wine. The HEX used here, #955251 (rgb(149, 82, 81)), is the most widely used on-screen approximation.

A technical detail many people miss: codes in the “18-1438” format belong to Pantone’s fashion, home and interiors system, designed for textiles and decorative paints. For paper and packaging, the equivalent in the graphics guide (the Pantone Matching System) has to be checked separately; converting the HEX to CMYK won’t guarantee the same result.

Earthy, mature and welcoming

Low in saturation with a brown base, marsala tends to read as warm, grounded and “grown-up,” less dramatic than wine and less vivid than terracotta. In fashion and makeup it has become a fall classic; in interiors it works with ceramics, leather and wood. The reading shifts with its surroundings: next to gold it looks luxurious, next to raw linen it looks rustic.

Where it performs best

In brand identity it suits food and coffee businesses, cosmetics brands and architecture studios. On websites it works as a primary color for buttons and headers, since contrast with white text is 5.8:1: it passes AA for body text, though it falls short of AAA’s 7:1. In prints and fabrics, marsala hides wear better than light shades, which is why it’s common on upholstery and rugs.

Palette and dark mode

For a balanced color palette, pair marsala with nude (#E3BC9A), olive green (#808000), mustard (#FFDB58) and teal (#008080), the last one nearly complementary, adding a cool counterpoint. Build and fine-tune it in the palette generator.

In dark mode, lighten marsala to something like #C98584, which keeps its earthy character and exceeds 6:1 on a #121212 background. Check it in the contrast checker.

How to use it in CSS

:root {
  --color-marsala: #955251;
  --color-marsala-rgb: 149, 82, 81;
}

.elemento {
  background-color: var(--color-marsala);
  color: #FFFFFF;
}

Similar colors

Use Marsala in our tools