Tints & Shades
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Scale from white (50) through Mandarin (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #F37A48
- RGB
- rgb(243, 122, 72)
- HSL
- hsl(18, 88%, 62%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.71 0.162 42)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 50%, 70%, 5%)
--color-mandarinbg-[#F37A48]Accessibility
Score: 48/100On White (#FFF)
2.73:1
On Black (#000)
7.69:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
2.51:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #F37A48
color: #F37A48
bg-[#F37A48] text-[#000000]
border-left: 4px solid #F37A48
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Sea Blue
#006994
Split-Complementary
Similar Colors
Color Meaning & Psychology
Orange sits at the intersection of red's intensity and yellow's optimism. It is the warmest color in the spectrum and carries associations with harvest, health, and human warmth. Unlike red, orange is rarely perceived as aggressive — it feels friendly, approachable, and energetic. In marketing, orange signals affordability and value; premium brands tend to avoid it for this reason. Deeper burnt oranges feel earthy and artisanal; bright oranges feel playful and modern. Orange has the highest visibility against a blue sky or ocean, making it the safety color for life vests and warning signs. At medium lightness, it is the most versatile tone of this hue family — readable as text on light backgrounds, yet vibrant enough as a visual accent.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Mandarin is applied in professional design.
- Technology and startup branding
- Food delivery and restaurant chains
- Outdoor recreation and adventure brands
- Construction and industrial safety equipment
- Health and wellness products emphasizing energy
- Home improvement and DIY retail
- Youth and education brands
- Budget and value-oriented retail
Accessibility Considerations
Normal Text
Fails AA
4.5:1 minimum required
Large Text
Fails AA Large
3:1 minimum required
UI Components
Check contrast
3:1 for non-text UI
Mandarin is a light color. Use black (#000000) text on top of it for maximum readability (7.69:1). Avoid white text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #F37A48;Text
color: #F37A48;Border
border: 2px solid #F37A48;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #F37A4840;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #F37A48, #ffab75);Tailwind-style
--color-mandarin: #F37A48;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Mandarin without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#F37A48]Text
text-[#F37A48]Border
border-[#F37A48]Ring
ring-[#F37A48]Fill
fill-[#F37A48]From (gradient)
from-[#F37A48]Via (gradient)
via-[#F37A48]To (gradient)
to-[#F37A48]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Mandarin design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-mandarin: #F37A48;
--color-mandarin-rgb: 243, 122, 72;
--color-mandarin-hsl: 18, 88%, 62%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-mandarin: #F37A48; $color-mandarin-rgb: 243, 122, 72; $color-mandarin-hsl: 18, 88%, 62%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'mandarin': '#F37A48',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-mandarin: #F37A48;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"mandarin": {
"value": "#F37A48",
"type": "color",
"description": "Mandarin — #F37A48"
}
}More orange colors
View all →What Does Mandarin Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
Few colors better embody the tension between energy and approachability than the orange family. At #F37A48, Mandarin resolves that tension in favor of enthusiasm—warm enough to feel inviting, saturated enough (88%) to remain visually active.
- In Western design, orange occupies a unique middle ground between red's urgency and yellow's optimism—friendlier than the former, more energetic than the latter. It signals approachability, affordability, and enthusiasm without the aggression of pure red.
- In Buddhist traditions, saffron and orange are sacred colors worn by monks and associated with renunciation, warmth, and spiritual enlightenment. In Hinduism, orange (saffron) represents purity, fire, and courage.
- Mandarin's mid-tone lightness (62%) shifts its psychological register: a balanced mid-tone that embodies enthusiasm, warmth, creativity, and accessibility at its most direct.
- At 88% saturation, Mandarin reads as vivid—Pure saturated oranges are impossible to ignore—they pulse with kinetic energy and work exceptionally well for sports brands, gaming, and anything that needs to project confidence and action.
Mandarin is at its best when it amplifies friendliness—a reminder that design can be energetic and welcoming at the same time.
How to Use Mandarin in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Mandarin is a natural secondary color in design systems—energetic enough to accent, friendly enough to avoid intimidation. It shines in promotional contexts where urgency is wanted but red would feel aggressive.
- UI components: secondary action buttons, highlight states, notification badges—Mandarin performs reliably in all these roles with its mid-tone tonal character.
- Brand & identity: secondary CTAs, highlight accents, notification dots—contexts where Mandarin's vivid quality creates the right register.
- Typography: Mandarin as text requires a dark background; its 62% lightness means it provides 2.7:1 contrast on white, not meeting WCAG AA.
- Mandarin creates strong legibility with black text overlays (7.7:1 contrast ratio), making it a reliable background or surface color in design systems
- Proportional use: Mandarin's vivid saturation (88%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
Mandarin is at its best when it amplifies friendliness—a reminder that design can be energetic and welcoming at the same time.
Mandarin Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Mandarin (#F37A48) achieves a 7.69:1 contrast ratio with black text, surpassing the WCAG 2.1 AAA threshold of 7:1. This exceptional contrast qualifies it for body text, UI components at any size, and all accessibility-sensitive interface contexts. Relative luminance: 33.4%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 2.73:1 — Fail
- As text on black (#000000): 7.69:1 — AAA ✓
- Best text color on Mandarin background: Black (#000000) at 7.69:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 33.4% — mid-range luminance—it sits in the transition zone where both dark and light text approaches require testing against the 4.5:1 WCAG threshold
- Mandarin qualifies for all text sizes including small body copy (AAA).
- Color blindness consideration: protanopia and deuteranopia (red-green color blindness, ~8% of males) may affect how orange-family colors are distinguished from greens and browns. For critical UI states, supplement color alone with shape, label, or pattern cues.
Always verify Mandarin at its final intended size and weight using a real contrast checker—font weight and rendering environment affect perceived legibility beyond what raw ratios capture.
Mandarin in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Mandarin's brand positioning falls squarely in the territory of enthusiasm, warmth, creativity, and accessibility. Industry data supports its strongest performance in food delivery, sports & fitness, tech startups categories, where the vivid saturation calibrates the message at a mid-tone, considered level.
- Food & Beverage: Orange stimulates appetite almost as effectively as red while feeling friendlier and more playful. Food delivery apps, snack brands, and casual dining chains use it to communicate deliciousness and accessibility. (examples: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Blue Bottle Coffee) Pairs well with white for clean, appetizing digital food interfaces.
- Sports & Fitness: Orange communicates high energy, competitive drive, and athletic enthusiasm. It's a popular secondary color in sports branding precisely because it energizes without the urgency or danger association of red. (examples: Nike, Gatorade, Under Armour) Orange-and-black is a classic high-visibility sports palette used from road construction to professional teams.
- Technology & Startups: Challenger tech brands use orange to signal they're energetic, user-friendly, and disrupting stuffy industries. It positions a product as approachable and human without sacrificing ambition. (examples: Notion, Slack, Salesforce) Works better for B2C tools and consumer products than for enterprise SaaS where trust and professionalism dominate.
- Brand positioning: Mandarin is best suited for brands projecting friendly, enthusiastic, accessible. Categories outside this positioning—luxury or premium positioning (reads as affordable—tend to see weaker results.
- Adjacent applications: Beyond primary industries, Mandarin works effectively in secondary CTAs, highlight accents, notification dots—contexts where friendliness serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
For marketers and brand strategists, Mandarin is a commitment to enthusiasm, warmth, creativity, and accessibility. Match it with industries that make that promise and it will pay dividends consistently.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Mandarin? ▾
- The hex code for Mandarin is #F37A48. Its RGB values are rgb(243, 122, 72) and its HSL values are hsl(18, 88%, 62%).
- What does Mandarin mean in design? ▾
- Orange sits at the intersection of red's intensity and yellow's optimism. It is the warmest color in the spectrum and carries associations with harvest, health, and human warmth. Unlike red, orange is rarely perceived as aggressive — it feels friendly, approachable, and energetic. In marketing, orange signals affordability and value; premium brands tend to avoid it for this reason. Deeper burnt oranges feel earthy and artisanal; bright oranges feel playful and modern. Orange has the highest visibility against a blue sky or ocean, making it the safety color for life vests and warning signs. At medium lightness, it is the most versatile tone of this hue family — readable as text on light backgrounds, yet vibrant enough as a visual accent.
- Is Mandarin WCAG accessible? ▾
- Mandarin (#F37A48) does not pass WCAG AA on white (2.73:1 ratio). Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 7.69:1. Its overall accessibility score is 48/100.
- What colors go well with Mandarin? ▾
- Mandarin pairs well with its complementary color Sea Blue (#006994). Analogous colors like Paradise Pink and New York Pink also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Mandarin used for? ▾
- Mandarin is commonly used for: Technology and startup branding; Food delivery and restaurant chains; Outdoor recreation and adventure brands; Construction and industrial safety equipment; Health and wellness products emphasizing energy.
- What are the CSS and Tailwind values for Mandarin? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #F37A48` or `background-color: #F37A48`. The CSS custom property is `--color-mandarin: #F37A48`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#F37A48]` for backgrounds or `text-[#F37A48]` for text.