When comparing colors, “lighter than” refers to having a higher lightness or value. The lightness of a color indicates how close it is to white on a scale from black (the darkest) to white (the lightest). On this scale, dark brown falls around the middle in terms of lightness. Many colors are lighter than dark brown, including:
Tans and Browns
There are several shades of brown that are lighter than dark brown. These include:
- Tan
- Beige
- Taupe
- Mocha
- Hazelnut
- Khaki
- Camel
- Biscuit
- Fawn
- Buff
- Mink
- Champagne
All of these browns have a higher value and reflect more light than dark brown. They range from very pale, almost yellowish tans to mid-range neutral browns. Dark brown sits at the darker end of the brown color spectrum before transitioning into deeper blacks and grays.
Neutrals
Many neutral colors are lighter than dark brown as well. These include:
- Cream
- Off-white
- Oatmeal
- Mushroom
- Slate gray
- Pale gray
- Dove gray
- Silver gray
- Charcoal gray
Neutral grays, taupes, and tans have a muted, soft quality but reflect more light than rich, dark brown. Going up the value scale, these colors become lighter and closer to white.
Pastels and Tints
Pastel versions of any color are lighter and softer than their pure, saturated versions. Pastel browns, pinks, yellows, blues, and greens are all lighter than dark brown. Other examples include:
- Nude
- Blush
- Buttercream
- Lavender
- Robin’s egg blue
- Seafoam green
- Mint
- Melon
- Peach
- Baby blue
Tints are created by adding white to a pure hue. Any color tinted with white will be lighter than dark brown. These include:
- Off-white
- Light pink
- Pale yellow
- Baby blue
- Mint green
Pastels and tints have a softened, delicate quality that allows more light to reflect compared to bold, deep colors like dark brown.
Light and Bright Colors
Many light and bright colors across the spectrum are lighter than dark brown. These include:
- White
- Ivory
- Lemon yellow
- Banana
- Saffron
- Goldenrod
- Neon yellow
- Chartreuse
- Lime
- Spring green
- Mint
- Turquoise
- Robin’s egg blue
- Baby blue
- Azure
- Periwinkle
- Lilac
- Lavender
- Cotton candy
- Bubblegum pink
- Salmon
- Peach
- Apricot
- Melon
- Orange
- Marigold
These bright, chromatic colors dominate the light end of the value scale. They reflect the most light compared to muted, darker colors like dark brown.
Metallic Colors
Metallic colors like gold, silver, brass, copper and bronze reflect a lot of light and shine brighter than flat, matte colors. Metallic paints and pigments contain tiny metal flakes that catch and reflect light. This makes them appear lighter and more luminous than dark brown.
| Color | Lightness Value |
|---|---|
| Dark brown | 37% |
| Medium brown | 50% |
| Hazelnut | 56% |
| Mocha | 59% |
| Beige | 74% |
| Khaki | 76% |
| Champagne | 89% |
| White | 100% |
This table shows the lightness values of various browns compared to dark brown. The higher the percentage, the lighter the color. Neutral and tanned browns, along with white, reflect the most light compared to dark brown.
Conclusion
In summary, many colors across the color wheel are lighter than dark brown. These include tans, taupes and brown shades; soft pastels and tints; bright, light colors across the spectrum like yellows, greens, blues and pinks; and metallic silvers, golds, coppers and bronzes. All of these colors have a higher lightness value than rich, deep dark brown and reflect more light.
When comparing color lightness, dark brown falls around the middle of the value scale. It has a rich, bold quality but reflects less light than soft neutrals, bright colors, and nearly any shade of brown that is a tint or tone of brown. So if you’re looking for a color lighter than dark brown, you have plenty of options across the color spectrum.
