#b42c01
a dark, electric red · warm · closest name: Firebrick
Token name suggestion: Shadow Ember
#b42c01 is a dark electric red, 14° on the wheel and 9/100 on the cool side. Put white text on it (6.36:1). As text it scores 6.36:1 on white — safe at any size. Nearest name is Firebrick, nearest Tailwind family is red.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #b42c01 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #b42c01.
Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #b42c01 |
| HEX (8-digit) | #b42c01ff |
| RGB | rgb(180, 44, 1) |
| RGBA | rgba(180, 44, 1, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(14, 99%, 36%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(14, 99%, 71%) |
| HWB | hwb(14 0% 29%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 76%, 99%, 29%) |
| LAB | lab(40.4 52.8 52.6) |
| LCH | lch(40.4 74.6 44.9) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.507 0.178 34.8) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(19.73, 11.51, 1.21) |
| Decimal | 11807745 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.706 0.173 0.004) |
| Web-safe | #CC3300 |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #b42c01;
background-color: #b42c01;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #b42c01;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#b42c01] bg-[#b42c01]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #b42c01;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.706, green: 0.173, blue: 0.004)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.706, green: 0.173, blue: 0.004, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#B42C01</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFB42C01)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFB42C01)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(1, 44, 180)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(180, 44, 1)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(180, 44, 1)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 180, 44, 1)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.7059f, 0.1725f, 0.0039f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{180,44,1}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #b42c01 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #b42c01 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#7F1F01, #EED9D3); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #b42c01 h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #FEF4F1;
--brand-100: #FCE9E3;
--brand-200: #FBCFC0;
--brand-300: #FEAA8F;
--brand-400: #FE8058;
--brand-500: #FE5520;
--brand-600: #F33B01;
--brand-700: #CB3201;
--brand-800: #b42c01;
--brand-900: #752006;
--brand-950: #491403;
--brand: #b42c01;
--brand-ink: #ffffff;
--brand-surface: #FAF6F4;
--brand-border: #EDCBC0;
--brand-hover: #912301;
--brand-pressed: #6D1B01;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #241814;
--brand-ink: #EED9D3;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#FEF4F1',
100: '#FCE9E3',
200: '#FBCFC0',
300: '#FEAA8F',
400: '#FE8058',
500: '#FE5520',
600: '#F33B01',
700: '#CB3201',
800: '#b42c01',
900: '#752006',
950: '#491403',
DEFAULT: '#b42c01',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #FEF4F1,
'100': #FCE9E3,
'200': #FBCFC0,
'300': #FEAA8F,
'400': #FE8058,
'500': #FE5520,
'600': #F33B01,
'700': #CB3201,
'800': #b42c01,
'900': #752006,
'950': #491403,
);
$brand-base: #b42c01;
$brand-ink: #ffffff;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#FEF4F1", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#FCE9E3", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#FBCFC0", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#FEAA8F", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#FE8058", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#FE5520", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#F33B01", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#CB3201", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#b42c01", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#752006", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#491403", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$value": "#ffffff", "$type": "color" }
}
}Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Make it accessible
A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #B42C01 is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #b42c01 as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #b42c01.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 6.36:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 6.08:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 5.81:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 5.16:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 4.28:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 2.48:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 1.34:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 1.19:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 1.63:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 2.30:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 2.81:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 3.30:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #b42c01 is pinned to step 800; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.044 34.8);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.071 34.8);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.107 34.8);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.139 34.8);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.164 34.8);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.178 34.8);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.178 34.8);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.167 34.8);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.149 34.8);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.125 34.8);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.098 34.8);
}Colors that work with #b42c01
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
In real components
The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #b42c01
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Body text and links on white
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Headers, footers and dark-mode surfaces
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠Black text placed on it
- ⚠Status meaning — pair it with an icon or label, never colour alone
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
Red arrives before the rest of the page does. It raises attention and appetite, which is why it runs food, sport and clearance pricing.
At this chroma the association is amplified — it will dominate anything placed beside it, so give it space and use it sparingly. The low lightness adds weight and formality.
It is also the universal error colour. Use it as a brand accent and users may read a warning that is not there.
- FormalityHigh
- EnergyHigh
- Weight65/100
- TemperatureWarm
- ApproachabilityHigh
Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #0189B4 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #B40130 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #B48501 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #01B485 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #0130B4 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #01B42C | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #2C01B4 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #30B401 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#b42c01 sits at 14°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 204%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#b42c01 text on a black background
contrast 3.30:1
#b42c01 text on a white background
contrast 6.36:1
#b42c01 on grey
5.81:1
#b42c01 on its own surface
5.92:1
#b42c01 on its dark surface
2.72:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #b42c01;
background-color: #b42c01;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #b42c01;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(180, 44, 1, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(180, 44, 1, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #b42c01; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b42c01, #B4A301);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #b42c01, #98B401); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #b42c01; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #b42c01; caret-color: #b42c01;
border-left: 4px solid #b42c01;
background: #FFECE6; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #b42c01;
background: conic-gradient(#b42c01 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #b42c01 over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.
Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.
rgba(180, 44, 1, 0.5) rgb(180 44 1 / 50%) #b42c0180 hsl(14 99% 36% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #b42c01 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #b42c011a | #F8EAE6 |
| 20% | #b42c0133 | #F0D5CC |
| 40% | #b42c0166 | #E1AB99 |
| 60% | #b42c0199 | #D28067 |
| 80% | #b42c01cc | #C35634 |
Gradients from #b42c01
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #F13B01, #b42c01 45%, #7F1F01);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #b42c01, #969401);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #b42c01, #0189B4);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #FE4B13 0%, #b42c01 45%, #7F1F01 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #FAF6F4, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #E70150 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #D2AE01 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #7F1F01 0%, transparent 65%), #b42c01;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #b42c01
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Tones — desaturated
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Rust (#b7410e) — ΔE2000 4.3 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#b42c01 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Sits outside most CMYK gamuts — expect a duller press result, or specify a spot ink.
Holds up across typical panel gamma. Still worth checking on an uncalibrated laptop, where mid-tones shift most.
Too dim on dark surfaces at 3.30:1 — lift it to #DD3601 for body text, or reserve it for fills.
Explore nearby colors
Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.
#b42c01, answered
What color is #b42c01?
#b42c01 is a dark electric red, closest to Firebrick (ΔE2000 7.9). It sits at 14° on the hue wheel with 99% saturation and 36% lightness, which reads as warm.
What is the RGB value of #b42c01?
rgb(180, 44, 1) — 180 red, 44 green and 1 blue out of 255, or 70.6% / 17.3% / 0.4% by channel.
What is #b42c01 in HSL and HSV?
hsl(14, 99%, 36%) and hsv(14, 99%, 71%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #b42c01 a light or a dark color?
It is a dark color. Relative luminance is 0.1151 and perceived brightness is 41%, so white text on it reaches 6.36:1.
Should I use black or white text on #b42c01?
White. It scores 6.36:1 against #b42c01, versus 3.30:1 for black — AA at any size.
Is #b42c01 accessible on a white background?
#b42c01 on white scores 6.36:1, which clears AA at every size but not AAA.
What is the complementary color of #b42c01?
#0189B4 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #01B485 and #0130B4, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #b42c01?
For interface work: #FAF6F4 as the surface, #EDCBC0 for borders, #9B5E4B for secondary text, #00CCCA as an accent and #7F1F01 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #B40130 and #B48501 stays calm, while #0189B4 is the loudest partner.
What is #b42c01 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(0%, 76%, 99%, 29%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — a color this saturated sits outside most CMYK gamuts and will print duller than it looks here.
Is #b42c01 warm or cool?
Warm — it scores 9 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #B43E01; nudged cooler, #B50017.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #b42c01?
The red family — its 500 step is #ef4444, ΔE2000 17.4 away. That is a visible difference, so define #b42c01 as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #b42c01 in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#b42c01] or text-[#b42c01], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.
What is #b42c01 with 50% opacity?
rgba(180, 44, 1, 0.5), or #b42c0180 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #DA9680; over black, #5A1601.
Is #b42c01 a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CC3300, ΔE2000 5.3 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #b42c01 mean?
As a red, it reads urgent, appetising, bold. Red arrives before the rest of the page does. It raises attention and appetite, which is why it runs food, sport and clearance pricing. At this chroma the effect is amplified — it will dominate whatever sits beside it.
What gradient works with #b42c01?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #F13B01, #b42c01 45%, #7F1F01). For more colour, a short hue run to #969401 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #b42c01 in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #b42c01 at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.