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#df3236

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

RGB
223, 50, 54
HSL
359°, 73%, 54%
CMYK
0, 78, 76, 13
Luminance
0.1824

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #df3236 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#df3236
Hue
359°
red
Saturation
73%
vivid
Lightness
54%
balanced
Brightness
87%
HSV value
Perceived
51%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.1824
WCAG relative
Temperature
Warm
17/100 cool
Color family
Red
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
4.65:1
Closest name
Crimson
ΔE2000 5.2
Where it sits
Hue359° of 360°
Saturation73%
Lightness54%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool17% 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#df3236
RGBrgb(223, 50, 54)
HSLhsl(359, 73%, 54%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 78%, 76%, 13%)
LABlab(49.8 65.2 40.3)
LCHlch(49.8 76.6 31.8)
OKLCHoklch(0.592 0.208 25.4)
Decimal14627382
Display P3color(display-p3 0.875 0.196 0.212)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #df3236;
background-color: #df3236;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#df3236] bg-[#df3236]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #df3236;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.875, green: 0.196, blue: 0.212)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#df3236")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFDF3236)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(54, 50, 223)

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#000000 on #df3236 · 4.65:1
Use #000000AA at every size, AAA for large text only.
Aa
White text · 4.52:1
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 4.65:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA fail
Reading the other direction: #df3236 as text scores 4.52:1 on white and 4.65:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#df3236 on white: 4.52:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#df3236 on black: 4.65:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #685F34
deuteranopia · #93842F
tritanopia · #F60036

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #df3236 is pinned to step 500; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#FCF3F3
#F8E7E7
#F3C9CA
#F09EA0
#E86D70
#df3236
#D42125
#B01C1F
#8D1619
#661416
#400D0E
Base = 500Lightest = 50 · #FCF3F3Darkest = 950 · #400D0E
:root {
  --brand-50: #FCF3F3;
  --brand-100: #F8E7E7;
  --brand-200: #F3C9CA;
  --brand-300: #F09EA0;
  --brand-400: #E86D70;
  --brand-500: #df3236;
  --brand-600: #D42125;
  --brand-700: #B01C1F;
  --brand-800: #8D1619;
  --brand-900: #661416;
  --brand-950: #400D0E;
  --brand: #df3236;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #df3236

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

Text on it#000000
Black wins here
Surface#FAF4F4
Tinted page background
Border#EDC0C1
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#9B4B4C
Captions on the surface
Accent#17B58A
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#6E1113
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#FCE9E9
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#241414
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 #df3236

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

Works well for
  • Body text and links on white
  • Text and icons on dark surfaces
  • 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#32DFDB
Analogous left#DF328C
Analogous right#DF8432
Split-complement 1#32DF84
Split-complement 2#328CDF
Triadic 1#36DF32
Triadic 2#3236DF
Tetradic#8CDF32

RGB percentages

Red87.5%
Green19.6%
Blue21.2%

CMYK percentages

Cyan0.0%
Magenta77.6%
Yellow75.8%
Key (black)12.5%

Color previews

#df3236 text on a black background

contrast 4.65:1

Card sample

#df3236 text on a white background

contrast 4.52:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #df3236;
Background color
Panel with #df3236 background
background-color: #df3236;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #df3236;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(223, 50, 54, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(223, 50, 54, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #df3236;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #df3236, #DFA132);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #df3236

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.

#df3236 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.

#df3236, answered

What color is #df3236?

#df3236 is a balanced vivid red, closest to Crimson (ΔE2000 5.2). It sits at 359° on the hue wheel with 73% saturation and 54% lightness, which reads as warm.

What is the RGB value of #df3236?

rgb(223, 50, 54) — 223 red, 50 green and 54 blue out of 255, or 87.5% / 19.6% / 21.2% by channel.

Is #df3236 a light or a dark color?

It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.1824 and perceived brightness is 51%, so black text on it reaches 4.65:1.

Should I use black or white text on #df3236?

Black. It scores 4.65:1 against #df3236, versus 4.52:1 for white — AA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #df3236?

#32DFDB sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #32DF84 and #328CDF, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #df3236?

For interface work: #FAF4F4 as the surface, #EDC0C1 for borders, #9B4B4C for secondary text, #17B58A as an accent and #6E1113 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #DF328C and #DF8432 stays calm, while #32DFDB is the loudest partner.

What is #df3236 in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(0%, 78%, 76%, 13%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #df3236 warm or cool?

Warm — it scores 17 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #DF5B32; nudged cooler, #E12F75.

Work with #df3236 in the Color Lab