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#cd2139

a balanced, vivid red · warm · closest name: Crimson

RGB
205, 33, 57
HSL
352°, 72%, 47%
CMYK
0, 84, 72, 20
Luminance
0.1436

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #cd2139 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#cd2139
Hue
352°
red
Saturation
72%
vivid
Lightness
47%
balanced
Brightness
80%
HSV value
Perceived
46%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.1436
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
21/100 cool
Color family
Red
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
White
5.42:1
Closest name
Crimson
ΔE2000 2.7
Where it sits
Hue352° of 360°
Saturation72%
Lightness47%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool21% cool

Reads warm. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.

Every format

HEX#cd2139
RGBrgb(205, 33, 57)
HSLhsl(352, 72%, 47%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 84%, 72%, 20%)
LABlab(44.8 64.6 32.0)
LCHlch(44.8 72.1 26.3)
OKLCHoklch(0.549 0.203 21.0)
Decimal13443385
Display P3color(display-p3 0.804 0.129 0.224)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #cd2139;
background-color: #cd2139;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#cd2139] bg-[#cd2139]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #cd2139;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.804, green: 0.129, blue: 0.224)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#cd2139")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFCD2139)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(57, 33, 205)

Best text color

Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.

Readable at a glance#ffffff on #cd2139 · 5.42:1
Use #ffffffAA at every size, AAA for large text only.
Aa
White text · 5.42:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 3.87:1
AA fail · AA large pass · AAA fail
Reading the other direction: #cd2139 as text scores 5.42:1 on white and 3.87:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#cd2139 on white: 5.42:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#cd2139 on black: 3.87:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #595338
deuteranopia · #837733
tritanopia · #E2002D

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #cd2139 is pinned to step 600; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#FCF3F4
#F8E7E9
#F3C9CF
#EF9EAA
#E86E7F
#E03E54
#cd2139
#B01C31
#8D1727
#661420
#400D14
Base = 600Lightest = 50 · #FCF3F4Darkest = 950 · #400D14
:root {
  --brand-50: #FCF3F4;
  --brand-100: #F8E7E9;
  --brand-200: #F3C9CF;
  --brand-300: #EF9EAA;
  --brand-400: #E86E7F;
  --brand-500: #E03E54;
  --brand-600: #cd2139;
  --brand-700: #B01C31;
  --brand-800: #8D1727;
  --brand-900: #661420;
  --brand-950: #400D14;
  --brand: #cd2139;
  --brand-ink: #ffffff;
}

Colors that work with #cd2139

Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.

Text on it#ffffff
White wins here
Surface#FAF4F5
Tinted page background
Border#EDC0C6
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B4B56
Captions on the surface
Accent#18B477
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#6E121F
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FBE9EC
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#241416
Dark-mode background
Light mode
Everything in its place

Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.

Primary actionSecondaryBadge
Dark mode
Same hue, inverted

Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.

Primary actionSecondaryAccent

How to use #cd2139

Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.

Works well for
  • Body text and links on white
  • Primary buttons and calls to action
  • Focus rings, active and selected states
  • Brand accents, badges and data highlights
Use with care
  • Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
  • Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate

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#21CDB5
Analogous left#CD218F
Analogous right#CD5F21
Split-complement 1#21CD5F
Split-complement 2#218FCD
Triadic 1#39CD21
Triadic 2#2139CD
Tetradic#8FCD21

RGB percentages

Red80.4%
Green12.9%
Blue22.4%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta83.9%
Yellow72.2%
Key (black)19.6%

Color previews

#cd2139 text on a black background

contrast 3.87:1

Card sample

#cd2139 text on a white background

contrast 5.42:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #cd2139;
Background color
Panel with #cd2139 background
background-color: #cd2139;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #cd2139;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(205, 33, 57, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(205, 33, 57, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #cd2139;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #cd2139, #CD7C21);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #cd2139

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

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.

#cd2139 in the real world

Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.

Industries
Food and drinkEntertainmentRetailSport
Common UI roles
ButtonsLinksFocus statesCharts
Print note

Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.

#cd2139, answered

What color is #cd2139?

#cd2139 is a balanced vivid red, closest to Crimson (ΔE2000 2.7). It sits at 352° on the hue wheel with 72% saturation and 47% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #cd2139?

rgb(205, 33, 57) — 205 red, 33 green and 57 blue out of 255, or 80.4% / 12.9% / 22.4% by channel.

Is #cd2139 a light or a dark color?

It is a dark color. Relative luminance is 0.1436 and perceived brightness is 46%, so white text on it reaches 5.42:1.

Should I use black or white text on #cd2139?

White. It scores 5.42:1 against #cd2139, versus 3.87:1 for black — AA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #cd2139?

#21CDB5 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #21CD5F and #218FCD, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #cd2139?

For interface work: #FAF4F5 as the surface, #EDC0C6 for borders, #9B4B56 for secondary text, #18B477 as an accent and #6E121F for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #CD218F and #CD5F21 stays calm, while #21CDB5 is the loudest partner.

What is #cd2139 in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 84%, 72%, 20%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #cd2139 warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 21 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #CD4321; nudged cooler, #D01F78.

Work with #cd2139 in the Color Lab