Tints & Shades
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Scale from white (50) through Coral (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #FF7F50
- RGB
- rgb(255, 127, 80)
- HSL
- hsl(16, 100%, 66%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.735 0.168 40)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 50%, 69%, 0%)
--color-coralbg-[#FF7F50]Accessibility
Score: 48/100On White (#FFF)
2.5:1
On Black (#000)
8.4:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
2.29:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #FF7F50
color: #FF7F50
bg-[#FF7F50] text-[#000000]
border-left: 4px solid #FF7F50
Color Harmonies
Similar Colors
Color Meaning & Psychology
Red is the most emotionally intense color in the spectrum. It stimulates the nervous system, accelerates respiration, and increases heart rate. Red commands attention through associations with blood, fire, danger, and passion — making it the dominant choice for warnings, calls-to-action, and brand identities that must stand out instantly. In food culture, red stimulates appetite. In romance, it signals desire. In sport, studies show red-clad competitors win more often. However, overuse creates aggression. The most effective red designs use it sparingly as a focal accent. Its lighter value makes it approachable and soft — suitable for backgrounds, secondary UI states, and contexts requiring the hue's character without full intensity.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Coral is applied in professional design.
- Emergency alerts and warning systems
- Food and beverage brands (appetite stimulation)
- Sports teams and athletic wear
- Calls-to-action and "Buy Now" buttons
- Pharmaceutical packaging for urgent medications
- Entertainment and gaming brands
- Automotive brands emphasizing power and performance
- Retail sale and clearance signage
Accessibility Considerations
Normal Text
Fails AA
4.5:1 minimum required
Large Text
Fails AA Large
3:1 minimum required
UI Components
Check contrast
3:1 for non-text UI
Coral is a light color. Use black (#000000) text on top of it for maximum readability (8.40:1). Avoid white text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #FF7F50;Text
color: #FF7F50;Border
border: 2px solid #FF7F50;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #FF7F5040;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #FF7F50, #ffb07e);Tailwind-style
--color-coral: #FF7F50;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Coral without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#FF7F50]Text
text-[#FF7F50]Border
border-[#FF7F50]Ring
ring-[#FF7F50]Fill
fill-[#FF7F50]From (gradient)
from-[#FF7F50]Via (gradient)
via-[#FF7F50]To (gradient)
to-[#FF7F50]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Coral design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-coral: #FF7F50;
--color-coral-rgb: 255, 127, 80;
--color-coral-hsl: 16, 100%, 66%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-coral: #FF7F50; $color-coral-rgb: 255, 127, 80; $color-coral-hsl: 16, 100%, 66%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'coral': '#FF7F50',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-coral: #FF7F50;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"coral": {
"value": "#FF7F50",
"type": "color",
"description": "Coral — #FF7F50"
}
}More red colors
View all →What Does Coral Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
Few colors carry as much cross-cultural psychological weight as the red family. Coral channels this heritage—landing in the design spectrum as power, a quality equally present in a "Buy Now" button and a luxury fashion house's logo.
- Across color psychology research, red consistently tests high for "energy" associations, making Coral a reliable vehicle for power in cross-demographic audiences.
- Brand designers draw on red-family tones to project excitement and urgency—values that Coral communicates in a mid-tone key.
- At 100% saturation, Coral reads as vivid—Pure saturated reds are physiologically stimulating, triggering faster heart rate and heightened alertness—among the most attention-commanding tones in human visual perception.
- Coral's mid-tone lightness (66%) shifts its psychological register: Light rose and blush tones soften urgency into warmth and romance while retaining the family's inviting quality.
Coral earns its place in a palette by doing something specific. Deploy it with that purpose in mind and it will deliver.
How to Use Coral in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Print and packaging designers reach for Coral when shelf visibility is critical. Red-family hues register first in complex visual environments, making them invaluable for products competing for attention at retail.
- Avoid: financial dashboards (loss association), environmental brands (conflicts with green identity), and medical UIs where red exclusively signals critical alerts.
- Color harmonies: Coral's complementary color creates a high-energy split ideal for promotional design; its analogous palette (±30° hue) builds cohesive, monochromatic sophistication.
- Proportional use: Coral's vivid saturation (100%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
- Coral creates strong legibility with black text overlays (8.4:1 contrast ratio), making it a reliable background or surface color in design systems
- Typography: Coral as text requires a dark background; its 66% lightness means it provides 2.5:1 contrast on white, not meeting WCAG AA.
Coral earns its place in a palette by doing something specific. Deploy it with that purpose in mind and it will deliver.
Coral Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Coral (#FF7F50) achieves a 8.40:1 contrast ratio with black text, surpassing the WCAG 2.1 AAA threshold of 7:1. This exceptional contrast qualifies it for body text, UI components at any size, and all accessibility-sensitive interface contexts. Relative luminance: 37.0%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 2.50:1 — Fail
- As text on black (#000000): 8.40:1 — AAA ✓
- Best text color on Coral background: Black (#000000) at 8.40:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 37.0% — mid-range luminance—it sits in the transition zone where both dark and light text approaches require testing against the 4.5:1 WCAG threshold
- Coral qualifies for all text sizes including small body copy (AAA).
- Color blindness consideration: protanopia and deuteranopia (red-green color blindness, ~8% of males) may affect how red-family colors are distinguished from greens and browns. For critical UI states, supplement color alone with shape, label, or pattern cues.
Coral's WCAG profile makes it a compliant choice for most text applications.
Coral in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Across industry research, red-family tones consistently outperform competitors in categories built on energy, passion, urgency, and power. Coral is a mid-tone expression of this advantage—best positioned in Food & Beverage and adjacent markets.
- Food & Beverage: Red stimulates appetite and accelerates purchase decisions. Fast food chains, hot sauce brands, and snack packaging use it deliberately because it increases caloric craving and speeds up decision-making at point of sale. (examples: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Blue Bottle Coffee) Avoid in fine dining or health-food contexts where a slower, more mindful experience is the goal.
- Retail & E-commerce: The "red sale tag" is a globally conditioned retail convention. Red signals scarcity and urgency, making it the universal shorthand for clearance events, limited-time offers, and price callouts. (examples: Target, H&M, ASOS) Overuse exhausts the urgency signal—reserve it for genuinely time-limited promotions.
- Sports & Entertainment: Red communicates competition, athletic energy, and tribal passion. From team jerseys to arena signage, it energizes crowds and aligns with the visceral intensity sports brands want to project. (examples: Spotify, Netflix, Hulu) Works best paired with black or white for maximum contrast and visual impact.
- Brand positioning: Coral is best suited for brands projecting excitement, urgency, importance. Categories outside this positioning—financial dashboards (loss association)—tend to see weaker results.
- Adjacent applications: Beyond primary industries, Coral works effectively in error states, notification badges, sports branding—contexts where passion serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
Coral earns its strongest ROI in industries where trust and recognition compound over time: Food & Beverage, Retail & E-commerce, Sports & Entertainment. Use it to build the kind of brand recognition that decades reinforce.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Coral? ▾
- The hex code for Coral is #FF7F50. Its RGB values are rgb(255, 127, 80) and its HSL values are hsl(16, 100%, 66%).
- What does Coral mean in design? ▾
- Red is the most emotionally intense color in the spectrum. It stimulates the nervous system, accelerates respiration, and increases heart rate. Red commands attention through associations with blood, fire, danger, and passion — making it the dominant choice for warnings, calls-to-action, and brand identities that must stand out instantly. In food culture, red stimulates appetite. In romance, it signals desire. In sport, studies show red-clad competitors win more often. However, overuse creates aggression. The most effective red designs use it sparingly as a focal accent. Its lighter value makes it approachable and soft — suitable for backgrounds, secondary UI states, and contexts requiring the hue's character without full intensity.
- Is Coral WCAG accessible? ▾
- Coral (#FF7F50) does not pass WCAG AA on white (2.5:1 ratio). Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.4:1. Its overall accessibility score is 48/100.
- What colors go well with Coral? ▾
- Coral pairs well with its complementary color Cerulean (#007BA7). Analogous colors like Pastel Pink and Garnet also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Coral used for? ▾
- Coral is commonly used for: Emergency alerts and warning systems; Food and beverage brands (appetite stimulation); Sports teams and athletic wear; Calls-to-action and "Buy Now" buttons; Pharmaceutical packaging for urgent medications.
- What are the CSS and Tailwind values for Coral? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #FF7F50` or `background-color: #FF7F50`. The CSS custom property is `--color-coral: #FF7F50`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#FF7F50]` for backgrounds or `text-[#FF7F50]` for text.