Tangerine

Color of ripe tangerine peel, warm and bright like autumn sunlight

HEX#F38B2B

RGBrgb(243, 139, 43)

HSLhsl(29, 89%, 56%)

HSVhsv(29, 82%, 95%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 43%, 82%, 5%)

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RGBArgba(243, 139, 43, 1)

HSLAhsla(29, 89%, 56%, 1)

OKLCHoklch(84.9%, 0.117, 76)

LCHlch(82.1%, 44.3, 86)

🎨 Color Palettes

Analogous2-3 adjacent hues (≤60°)

Triadic3 hues spaced 120° apart

Split ComplementaryMain color + colors adjacent to its complement

Complementary2 hues spaced 180° apart

Tetradic (Rectangle)4 hues forming a rectangle

MonochromaticSingle hue with varying saturation and lightness

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High Contrast Text

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Standard Text

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Suitable for regular body content, meeting WCAG AA standards

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Large Text / UI Components

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Suitable for large text (≥18px bold or ≥24px), icons, UI component boundaries

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Decorative / Dividers

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Suitable for decorative elements, dividers, non-essential text

📊 Color Scales

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Lightness VariationFixed hue and saturation, proportional lightness scaling 30%→100%

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Saturation VariationFixed hue and lightness, proportional saturation scaling 40%→100%

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Lightness + Saturation Mixed VariationSimultaneous lightness and saturation proportional scaling

#372B20

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Hue Fine-TuningFixed saturation and lightness, stepwise hue fine-tuning ±15°

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💡 Use Cases

🏠

Home Soft Furnishings

Tangerine cushions, curtains, or decorative paintings inject warmth into a space, ideal for living rooms and dining areas to create a cozy family atmosphere.

🍽️

Food & Beverage Branding

Fast food and dessert brands often use tangerine as their main color, leveraging its psychological effects of stimulating appetite and conveying warmth to attract customers.

👘

Traditional Clothing

In traditional garments like Hanfu and cheongsam, tangerine is often used for linings or accessories, adding a touch of liveliness and affinity amidst solemnity.

🎨

Illustration Design

Illustrators favor tangerine for depicting autumn, dusk, or fairy tale scenes. Its warm tones inherently possess a sense of narrative and nostalgia.

📜 Origin & History

Tangerine has a long history of use in China, dating back to the pre-Qin period. Ancient people extracted yellow dyes from gardenia and amur cork tree, while tangerine yellow was mostly obtained from natural materials such as tangerine peel and turmeric. Its warm, non-glaring hue became a common color for folk clothing and everyday utensils.

The Tang Dynasty marked an important period for the development of tangerine. With the maturation of dyeing techniques, it was widely used in silk weaving. Numerous images of donors wearing tangerine robes can be seen in Dunhuang murals. This color, distinct from the bright yellow reserved for emperors yet more spirited than earth yellow, became a favorite of the scholar-official and commoner classes.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, tangerine flourished in ceramic art. Some transmutation glazes of Jun and Longquan kilns displayed a warm tangerine tone, praised by literati as beeswax yellow or orange peel glaze. This color possessed the warm, moist texture of jade while retaining the warmth of secular life.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, tangerine further entered everyday folk life. Furniture and lacquerware from the Jiangnan region often used tangerine as a base color, paired with vermilion or dark green patterns, forming a distinctive decorative style. Tangerine was also a common color for Buddhist monastic robes, symbolizing humility and spiritual practice.

In modern times, due to its high visibility and warmth, tangerine has been widely adopted in safety signs and outdoor equipment. In modern design, tangerine emphasizes its bright, lively qualities, becoming a bridging color that connects traditional warmth imagery with modern visual communication.

🧠 Color Psychology

Warm and ApproachableTangerine evokes associations with sunlight and fruit, creating a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that unconsciously puts people at ease.

Energetic and VibrantSofter than red and calmer than yellow, tangerine stimulates creativity and initiative, providing positive psychological encouragement.

Appetite StimulatingThe color of ripe fruit naturally stimulates the appetite, which is why tangerine is often used as the primary color by food and beverage brands, triggering the urge to taste.

Optimistic and CheerfulBright tangerine tones can dispel gloomy emotions, bringing hope and joy. It is an important member of the healing color palette.

Affable and InclusiveTangerine lacks the aggression of red and the aloofness of gold. It is a color that makes people want to draw near and easily builds trust.

Nostalgic and WarmA slightly yellowed orange tone can evoke memories of old times, carrying the warmth of passing years and providing a sense of grounded emotional comfort.

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