#dc1b3c
a balanced, electric red · warm · “Crimson”
Token name suggestion: True Cherry
#dc1b3c is a balanced electric red, 350° on the wheel and 22/100 on the cool side. Put white text on it (4.92:1). As text it scores 4.92:1 on white — safe at any size. Nearest name is Crimson, nearest Tailwind family is red.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #dc1b3c 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 #dc1b3c.
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 | #dc1b3c |
| HEX (8-digit) | #dc1b3cff |
| RGB | rgb(220, 27, 60) |
| RGBA | rgba(220, 27, 60, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(350, 78%, 48%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(350, 88%, 86%) |
| HWB | hwb(350 11% 14%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 88%, 73%, 14%) |
| LAB | lab(47.4 69.9 34.0) |
| LCH | lch(47.4 77.7 26.0) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.574 0.219 20.6) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(30.73, 16.33, 5.81) |
| Decimal | 14424892 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.863 0.106 0.235) |
| Web-safe | #CC3333 |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #dc1b3c;
background-color: #dc1b3c;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #dc1b3c;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#dc1b3c] bg-[#dc1b3c]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #dc1b3c;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.863, green: 0.106, blue: 0.235)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.863, green: 0.106, blue: 0.235, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#DC1B3C</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFFDC1B3C)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDC1B3C)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(60, 27, 220)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(220, 27, 60)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(220, 27, 60)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 220, 27, 60)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.8627f, 0.1059f, 0.2353f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{220,27,60}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #dc1b3c 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #dc1b3c 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#720E1F, #EED3D7); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #dc1b3c h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #FCF3F4;
--brand-100: #F9E6EA;
--brand-200: #F5C7CF;
--brand-300: #F39BAA;
--brand-400: #ED6980;
--brand-500: #E63755;
--brand-600: #dc1b3c;
--brand-700: #B61632;
--brand-800: #911228;
--brand-900: #691120;
--brand-950: #420B14;
--brand: #dc1b3c;
--brand-ink: #ffffff;
--brand-surface: #FAF4F5;
--brand-border: #EDC0C7;
--brand-hover: #BC1733;
--brand-pressed: #9C132B;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #241417;
--brand-ink: #EED3D7;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#FCF3F4',
100: '#F9E6EA',
200: '#F5C7CF',
300: '#F39BAA',
400: '#ED6980',
500: '#E63755',
600: '#dc1b3c',
700: '#B61632',
800: '#911228',
900: '#691120',
950: '#420B14',
DEFAULT: '#dc1b3c',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #FCF3F4,
'100': #F9E6EA,
'200': #F5C7CF,
'300': #F39BAA,
'400': #ED6980,
'500': #E63755,
'600': #dc1b3c,
'700': #B61632,
'800': #911228,
'900': #691120,
'950': #420B14,
);
$brand-base: #dc1b3c;
$brand-ink: #ffffff;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#FCF3F4", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#F9E6EA", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#F5C7CF", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#F39BAA", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#ED6980", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#E63755", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#dc1b3c", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#B61632", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#911228", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#691120", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#420B14", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$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 #DC1B3C 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: #dc1b3c as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #dc1b3c.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 4.92:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 4.71:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 4.49:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 3.99:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 3.32:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 1.92:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 1.03:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 1.54:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 2.10:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 2.97:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 3.63:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 4.27:1 | 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. #dc1b3c 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.
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 0.055 20.6);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.088 20.6);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.131 20.6);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.171 20.6);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.202 20.6);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.219 20.6);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.219 20.6);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.206 20.6);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.184 20.6);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.153 20.6);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.121 20.6);
}Colors that work with #dc1b3c
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 #dc1b3c
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
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ✓Chart series and data categories
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠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 mid lightness keeps it versatile in both themes.
It is also the universal error colour. Use it as a brand accent and users may read a warning that is not there.
- FormalityLow
- EnergyHigh
- Weight52/100
- 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 | #1BDCBB | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #DC1B9D | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #DC5A1B | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #1BDC5A | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #1B9DDC | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #3CDC1B | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #1B3CDC | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #9DDC1B | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#dc1b3c sits at 350°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 174%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#dc1b3c text on a black background
contrast 4.27:1
#dc1b3c text on a white background
contrast 4.92:1
#dc1b3c on grey
4.49:1
#dc1b3c on its own surface
4.53:1
#dc1b3c on its dark surface
3.59:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #dc1b3c;
background-color: #dc1b3c;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #dc1b3c;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(220, 27, 60, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(220, 27, 60, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #dc1b3c; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #dc1b3c, #DC7A1B);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #dc1b3c, #DCAB1B); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #dc1b3c; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #dc1b3c; caret-color: #dc1b3c;
border-left: 4px solid #dc1b3c;
background: #FCE8EC; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #dc1b3c;
background: conic-gradient(#dc1b3c 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #dc1b3c 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(220, 27, 60, 0.5) rgb(220 27 60 / 50%) #dc1b3c80 hsl(350 78% 48% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #dc1b3c 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #dc1b3c1a | #FCE8EC |
| 20% | #dc1b3c33 | #F8D1D8 |
| 40% | #dc1b3c66 | #F1A4B1 |
| 60% | #dc1b3c99 | #EA768A |
| 80% | #dc1b3ccc | #E34963 |
Gradients from #dc1b3c
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #E94B66, #dc1b3c 45%, #720E1F);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #dc1b3c, #C17918);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #dc1b3c, #1BDCBB);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #EC667D 0%, #dc1b3c 45%, #720E1F 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #FAF4F5, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #E842BF 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #E67B30 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #720E1F 0%, transparent 65%), #dc1b3c;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #dc1b3c
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: Crimson (#dc143c) — ΔE2000 0.6 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#dc1b3c 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 4.27:1 — lift it to #E31E40 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.
#dc1b3c, answered
What color is #dc1b3c?
#dc1b3c is a balanced electric red — the CSS keyword Crimson. It sits at 350° on the hue wheel with 78% saturation and 48% lightness, which reads as warm.
What is the RGB value of #dc1b3c?
rgb(220, 27, 60) — 220 red, 27 green and 60 blue out of 255, or 86.3% / 10.6% / 23.5% by channel.
What is #dc1b3c in HSL and HSV?
hsl(350, 78%, 48%) and hsv(350, 88%, 86%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #dc1b3c a light or a dark color?
It is a dark color. Relative luminance is 0.1633 and perceived brightness is 49%, so white text on it reaches 4.92:1.
Should I use black or white text on #dc1b3c?
White. It scores 4.92:1 against #dc1b3c, versus 4.27:1 for black — AA at any size.
Is #dc1b3c accessible on a white background?
#dc1b3c on white scores 4.92:1, which clears AA at every size but not AAA.
What is the complementary color of #dc1b3c?
#1BDCBB sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #1BDC5A and #1B9DDC, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #dc1b3c?
For interface work: #FAF4F5 as the surface, #EDC0C7 for borders, #9B4B58 for secondary text, #12BA73 as an accent and #720E1F for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #DC1B9D and #DC5A1B stays calm, while #1BDCBB is the loudest partner.
What is #dc1b3c in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(0%, 88%, 73%, 14%). 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 #dc1b3c warm or cool?
Warm — it scores 22 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #DC3B1B; nudged cooler, #DE1983.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #dc1b3c?
The red family — its 500 step is #ef4444, ΔE2000 8.3 away. That is a visible difference, so define #dc1b3c as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #dc1b3c in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#dc1b3c] or text-[#dc1b3c], 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 #dc1b3c with 50% opacity?
rgba(220, 27, 60, 0.5), or #dc1b3c80 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #EE8D9E; over black, #6E0E1E.
Is #dc1b3c a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #CC3333, ΔE2000 4.7 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #dc1b3c 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 #dc1b3c?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #E94B66, #dc1b3c 45%, #720E1F). For more colour, a short hue run to #C17918 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #dc1b3c in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #dc1b3c at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.