Eileen
Clay
#C46A45
Terracotta
A Dark Autumn color
Terracotta
anchor color 7 of 10 in Dark Autumn. Also called Deep Autumn in other systems.
By Kathleen Olsen · Updated November 11, 2026
- Hex
- #C46A45
- RGB
- 196, 106, 69
- HSL
- 17°, 52%, 52%
Terracotta is the Dark Autumn orange: a clay orange with enough brown in it to sit comfortably at the deep end of the palette. It is the most wearable orange in the twelve seasons, because the brown takes the alarm out of it, and it is the color most often found when a Dark Autumn finally stops buying black.
Where it sits
Terracotta is an anchor color in Dark Autumn. Its closest relative outside the palette is Terracotta #B8572A, a True Autumn color, at a perceptual distance of 10. That is near enough for that season to wear it as a neutral, with the accents kept in its own palette.
At RGB 196, 106, 69 the red leads, the green is at about half, and the blue is at a third. The green at half is what makes it orange rather than red. The blue at a third, higher than a clear orange would allow, is the brown. Drop the blue and it becomes a burnt orange; raise all three and it becomes a coral, which is the Spring version.
A Dark Autumn wears it as the warm color against the dark neutrals: with dark chocolate, with dark olive, with warm charcoal. A terracotta knit under a chocolate coat. A dress with brass at the neck. It pairs with deep teal as a complement and with camel and golden brown as relatives. It is one of the few colors in the palette that works at full saturation near the face.
Retailers call it terracotta, clay, rust, burnt orange, brick, spice, cinnamon or ginger, and most of what they sell under those names is close. The misses are the ones that run too bright, toward coral, or too cool, toward brick red. Hold the garment against a camel. Terracotta looks like a deeper, redder camel. A coral looks pink beside it. A brick looks purple.
Easily confused with
True Autumn's terracotta is ten points away and a little brighter; the two palettes nearly share the color. Dark Autumn's own burnt orange is thirteen points off and more orange; Soft Autumn's soft rust and dusty terracotta are fourteen and eighteen points off and greyer. Light Spring's warm coral is eighteen points off and much lighter: on a Dark Autumn it reads pastel, and on a Light Spring this terracotta reads heavy.
The nearest named colors in other seasons, by perceptual distance (ΔE in CIELAB; under 10 is hard to tell apart on a screen, over 25 is a different color).
Terracotta #B8572A
True Autumn anchor · ΔE 10
Soft rust #A96A4A
Soft Autumn anchor · ΔE 14
Burnt sienna #C4532A
True Autumn anchor · ΔE 14
Warm coral #FA8E76
Light Spring anchor · ΔE 18
Dusty terracotta #C08268
Soft Autumn anchor · ΔE 18
Pumpkin #C4621A
True Autumn anchor · ΔE 18
In stock in this color today
As of November 11, 2026, 11 in-stock pieces across Boden, Frank & Eileen and STAUD sample within a close match of #C46A45. The dot on each card is the color we sampled from the garment itself; trust it over the photograph. Links are affiliate links: we earn a commission when you buy through them, at no cost to you.
What it's sold as
Retailers almost never use the palette name. These are the color names on the in-stock pieces that sample within a close match of #C46A45 today, so they are the words to search for.
- Boden
- Ginger, Spiced Ginger, Cognac, Trim Leather Belt-Tan
- Frank & Eileen
- Clay, Rust
- STAUD
- Cocoa Butter
A retailer's name for a color says nothing about its undertone. "Navy" at one shop is a True Winter color and at another a Spring one. The sampled dot on each card above is what we trust.
Questions
Is terracotta a Dark Autumn color?
Yes. Terracotta (#C46A45) is an anchor color in the Dark Autumn palette, and close enough to a True Autumn color for that season to wear it as a neutral.
Is terracotta the same as rust?
Close enough on a rail, and the names are used interchangeably. In the palettes, rust usually runs a little browner and terracotta a little more orange. Dark Autumn's terracotta is RGB 196, 106, 69; Soft Autumn's soft rust is fourteen points greyer. Either name on a label is worth checking.
Can a True Autumn wear this terracotta?
Yes. True Autumn's own terracotta is ten points brighter, so this one reads a touch deep on a True Autumn, but the temperature is identical and with camel or cream it works without effort.
Can a Soft Autumn wear terracotta?
The muted version. Soft Autumn's dusty terracotta is eighteen points greyer. This one is bright enough to wear a Soft Autumn rather than the reverse; as a scarf or a shoe it is fine, as a knit near the face it is a lot.
What colors go with terracotta?
For a Dark Autumn: dark chocolate, dark olive, warm charcoal, camel, golden brown, deep teal, cream and aged brass. Avoid cool grey and optic white, both of which make it look orange in the wrong way.
The Dark Autumn guide · All in-stock Dark Autumn pieces · ← Dark olive · Burnt orange → · All colors