Beaver
A soft brown shade named for the fur of the beaver
Beaver is a brown colour that takes its name from the fur of the beaver animal. It sits in the orange-brown range and was first recorded as a colour name in English in 1705. The shade was later included in the Crayola crayon range in 1998.
Share on WhatsAppOpen in the lab
- Beaver is an orange-brown shade named after the animal's fur
- First recorded as a colour name in English in 1705
- Added to the Crayola crayon range in 1998
- The words 'brown' and 'beaver' share a linguistic root
What colour is Beaver?
Beaver is a gentle brown shade that reflects the typical colour of a beaver's fur. It falls within the orange-brown part of the spectrum, giving it a warm, muted appearance. This sets it apart from darker or redder browns, making it a distinct and recognisable shade among earth tones.
Where does Beaver come from?
The name 'beaver' for this colour comes directly from the animal, whose fur shares a similar brown tone. The word 'beaver' and 'brown' are believed to have a common linguistic root. The first known use of 'beaver' as a colour name in English dates back to 1705. In 1998, the colour was added to the Crayola crayon range, helping it reach a wider audience.
Brown around the world
What the brown family means from country to country.
Brown is the colour of Nazism in German political speech, after the brown shirts of the party's stormtroopers. To call a view "brown" is to call it far right.
Politics and protestDanger and warningShameSource: SturmabteilungMasi is bark cloth beaten from paper mulberry and printed in brown and black. It is worn at weddings and funerals and given in ceremonial exchanges.
Sacred and holyWeddings and marriageSource: Tapa clothKuntunkuni is a dark brown mourning cloth of the Asante, dyed with tree bark. Adinkra cloth, stamped with symbols, was first made on such dark grounds for funerals.
Mourning and deathSadnessSource: Adinkra symbolsThe batik of the Javanese courts at Yogyakarta and Surakarta is dyed in soga brown with indigo and cream. Some court patterns were once reserved for the royal family.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: BatikBogolanfini, or mud cloth, is cotton painted with fermented river mud in browns, black and white. Hunters wear it for protection, and women after childbirth.
Protection and healingSacred and holySource: B貌g貌lanfiniShades and relatives of Beaver
Beaver is classified as an orange-brown, which means it is warmer than some other browns. It is one of several shades named after animals or natural materials, and may be confused with other earthy browns but is defined by its specific hue.
Colours that go with Beaver
Harmonies are worked out from the value #9F8170. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Beaver
What colour is beaver?
Beaver is a warm, muted brown that resembles the fur of a beaver. It is classified as an orange-brown shade.
Where does the name 'beaver' for this colour come from?
The colour is named after the beaver animal, as its fur is a similar brown shade. The words 'beaver' and 'brown' come from the same root.
When was beaver first used as a colour name?
The first recorded use of 'beaver' as a colour name in English was in 1705.
Is beaver used in crayons?
Yes, beaver was introduced as a Crayola crayon colour in 1998.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shades of brown" (the section "Beaver"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
More of the brown family
All of brown
#C3B091
Khaki
A light tan with a yellowish tinge, once made for military uniformsNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2
#F5F5DC
Beige
A pale, warm colour named after natural, undyed woolNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2
#704214
Sepia
A reddish-brown colour named for the ink of the cuttlefishNamed shade
#3D2B1F
Bistre
A dark brown pigment and colour made from soot, once used in Old Master drawingsPigment
#B87333
Copper
A reddish brown shade named for the metal it matchesNamed shade
#483C32
Taupe
A grey-brown shade named after the colour of a mole鈥檚 furNamed shade
#4A412A
Pantone 448 C
A dull brown shade chosen to discourage smoking by making packaging unattractiveStandard colour 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +5
#664228
Van Dyck brown
A deep, earthy brown once made from German peat and soilPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany