Showa era
Vistoris Lake & Orange Rufous
Plate 91 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vistoris Lake, Orange Rufous.
#c16b27
orange · 3 palettes
Orange Rufous
Orange Rufous is one of the colors Sanzo Wada used in his 1933 book. Get Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary on Amazon → Affiliate link; your price is unchanged. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
About Orange Rufous
Orange Rufous is a mid-tone, vivid orange tone. Its hex value is #c16b27 — that is
RGB 193, 107, 39, or HSL 26°, 66%, 45%.
It holds 5.4:1 contrast against dark, so Orange Rufous works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 3.9:1; on black 5.4:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Orange Rufous appears in 3 combinations — most often paired with Vistoris Lake, Ivory Buff and Yellow Ocher.
Colours that go with Orange Rufous
From a standard colour wheel, Orange Rufous anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#c16b27 #277DC1
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#c16b27 #C12730 #C1B827
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#c16b27 #27C16B #6B27C1
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#c16b27 #27C1B8 #2730C1
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Orange Rufous
Orange Rufous is a mid-tone, vivid tone (HSL 26°, 66%, 45%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (5.4:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#277DC1) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#C12730 and #C1B827) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Orange Rufous off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
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-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 24 — Art Nouveau
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 24 Colors II - Art Nouveau
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Palettes with Orange Rufous
Orange Rufous appears in 3 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Orange Rufous
- What is the hex code for Orange Rufous?
- Orange Rufous is #c16b27. It appears in 3 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Orange Rufous look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Orange Rufous (#c16b27) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 3.89:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 5.40:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Orange Rufous come from?
- Orange Rufous is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued orange pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Orange Rufous in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#c16b27) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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