Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind taupe-400: #ABA09C
In Tailwind CSS v4, taupe-400 is defined as --color-taupe-400: oklch(71.4% 0.014 41.2), which is #ABA09C in hex and rgb(171, 160, 156): a light, grayish red-orange.
In OKLCH, taupe-400 has a lightness of 71.4%, chroma 0.014 and hue 41.2°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #ABA09C represents it without loss on any screen.
Tailwind taupe is a tinted neutral added in v4.2: a warm gray with a brown cast. It has no v3 equivalent.
Color codes for taupe-400
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-taupe-400 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(71.4% 0.014 41.2) |
| HEX | #ABA09C |
| RGB | rgb(171, 160, 156) |
| HSL | hsl(16, 8%, 64%) |
| HWB | hwb(16 61% 33%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(0%, 6%, 9%, 33%) |
| Decimal | 11,247,772 |
| Utility classes | bg-taupe-400, text-taupe-400, border-taupe-400 |
Tailwind taupe scale
Contrast and accessibility
On taupe-400, black text has a contrast ratio of 8.23:1 and passes AAA at any text size; white text reaches 2.54:1.
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios (success criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6: AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1). APCA Lc is the lightness contrast from the APCA-W3 0.0.98G model proposed for WCAG 3; a higher absolute value is more readable, and Lc 75 is its suggested minimum for body text.
| Pair | Ratio | AA | AA large | AAA | AAA large | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on taupe-400 | 8.23:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 54.1 |
| White text on taupe-400 | 2.54:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | −55.0 |
| Taupe-400 text on white | 2.54:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 49.9 |
| Taupe-400 text on black | 8.23:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −52.0 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-taupe-400) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-taupe-400), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#afa5a1 - 15%
#b8aeab - 25%
#c0b8b5 - 35%
#c8c1bf - 45%
#d1cbc9 - 55%
#d9d4d2 - 65%
#e2dedc - 75%
#eae7e6 - 85%
#f2f1f0 - 95%
#fbfafa
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#a29894 - 15%
#918885 - 25%
#807875 - 35%
#6f6865 - 45%
#5e5856 - 55%
#4d4846 - 65%
#3c3837 - 75%
#2b2827 - 85%
#1a1817 - 95%
#090808
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, taupe-400's complementary color is #9AA5A9 (close to darkgray), its analogous colors are #AB9FA0 and #A8A199, and its triadic partners are #9CA6A0 and #A1A2AC. For text on top, black gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #9aa5a9 |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #ab9fa0#a8a199 |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #9ca6a0#a1a2ac |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #99a6a5#9da4ab |
Computed in OKLCH: the hue is rotated by 180° (complementary), ±30° (analogous), ±120° (triadic) and 180° ±30° (split-complementary) while lightness and chroma stay fixed. Results that fall outside sRGB are brought back with the CSS Color 4 gamut mapping algorithm. Because this uses OKLCH, the values differ from tools that rotate hue in HSL, but every color keeps the same perceived lightness.
Warm or cool?
Tailwind taupe-400 is close to neutral: its OKLCH chroma is only 0.014, so its temperature comes from context. The faint 16° hue gives it a slightly warm cast.
Nearest named and Tailwind colors
Distance is ΔE OK, the Euclidean distance in OKLab multiplied by 100. Values under about 2 are hard to tell apart side by side.
Code snippets
<div class="bg-taupe-400 text-black">...</div>
<p class="text-taupe-400 border-taupe-400">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-taupe-400);
background-color: oklch(71.4% 0.014 41.2);
border-color: #aba09c;
outline-color: rgb(171 160 156);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let taupe400 = Color(red: 0.671, green: 0.627, blue: 0.612)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Taupe400 = Color(0xFFABA09C)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const taupe400 = Color(0xFFABA09C);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="taupe_400">#ABA09C</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind taupe-400?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, taupe-400 is oklch(71.4% 0.014 41.2), which converts to #ABA09C (rgb(171, 160, 156)) in sRGB.
- Is taupe-400 available in Tailwind v3?
- No. The taupe scale was added in Tailwind CSS v4.2. In v3 you can recreate it in tailwind.config.js under theme.extend.colors with the hex #ABA09C.
- How do I use taupe-400 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-taupe-400). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on taupe-400?
- White text on taupe-400 has a contrast ratio of 2.54:1, which fails AA even for large text under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 8.23:1 and passes both AA and AAA. In APCA terms that is Lc −55.0 for white and Lc 54.1 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to taupe-400?
- The closest is darkgray (#A9A9A9) at ΔE OK 2.5, followed by rosybrown and tan.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.