Tints & Shades
50
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Scale from white (50) through Dark Red (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #8B0000
- RGB
- rgb(139, 0, 0)
- HSL
- hsl(0, 100%, 27%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.4 0.164 29)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 100%, 100%, 45%)
--color-dark-redbg-[#8B0000]Accessibility
Score: 96/100On White (#FFF)
10.01:1
On Black (#000)
2.1:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
9.18:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #8B0000
color: #8B0000
bg-[#8B0000] text-[#FFFFFF]
border-left: 4px solid #8B0000
Color Harmonies
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 deeper, richer tone gives it gravitas and sophistication, making it well-suited for primary brand colors, typography, and contexts where authority matters.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Dark Red 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
Passes AA
4.5:1 minimum required
Large Text
Passes AA Large
3:1 minimum required
UI Components
Meets 1.4.11
3:1 for non-text UI
Dark Red is a dark color. Use white (#FFFFFF) text on top of it for maximum readability (10.01:1). Avoid small black text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #8B0000;Text
color: #8B0000;Border
border: 2px solid #8B0000;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #8B000040;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #8B0000, #c2402a);Tailwind-style
--color-dark-red: #8B0000;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Dark Red without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#8B0000]Text
text-[#8B0000]Border
border-[#8B0000]Ring
ring-[#8B0000]Fill
fill-[#8B0000]From (gradient)
from-[#8B0000]Via (gradient)
via-[#8B0000]To (gradient)
to-[#8B0000]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Dark Red design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-dark-red: #8B0000;
--color-dark-red-rgb: 139, 0, 0;
--color-dark-red-hsl: 0, 100%, 27%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-dark-red: #8B0000; $color-dark-red-rgb: 139, 0, 0; $color-dark-red-hsl: 0, 100%, 27%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'dark-red': '#8B0000',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-dark-red: #8B0000;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"dark-red": {
"value": "#8B0000",
"type": "color",
"description": "Dark Red — #8B0000"
}
}Related Palettes & Combinations
Color Combinations
Accessible Color Pairs
More red colors
View all →What Does Dark Red Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
Few colors carry as much cross-cultural psychological weight as the red family. Dark Red 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.
- In Western cultures red denotes importance (red carpets), danger (stop signs), love (Valentine's Day), and financial loss ("in the red")—a dual symbolism of celebration and warning that designers leverage depending on context.
- Across China, India, and much of Southeast Asia, red is the color of luck, prosperity, and celebration. It dominates weddings, Lunar New Year, and auspicious occasions, carrying exactly the opposite of its Western "danger" connotation.
- Dark Red's deep lightness (27%) shifts its psychological register: Deep crimsons and burgundies shift urgency toward sophistication, authority, and depth—better for premium positioning than quick-reaction signals.
- At 100% saturation, Dark Red 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.
Dark Red earns its place in a palette by doing something specific. Deploy it with that purpose in mind and it will deliver.
How to Use Dark Red in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Print and packaging designers reach for Dark Red when shelf visibility is critical. Red-family hues register first in complex visual environments, making them invaluable for products competing for attention at retail.
- UI components: primary action buttons, error and destructive states, delete confirmations—Dark Red performs reliably in all these roles with its deep tonal character.
- Brand & identity: call-to-action buttons, promotional banners, food packaging—contexts where Dark Red's vivid quality creates the right register.
- Typography: Dark Red works as a background behind white text but requires careful sizing—test at intended heading and body sizes before finalizing.
- As a dark tone, Dark Red creates maximum contrast with white and light neutrals—excellent for creating premium dark-mode sections, bold headers, and high-drama brand moments
- Proportional use: Dark Red's vivid saturation (100%) means small applications—accents, highlights, icons—deliver maximum impact without visual fatigue. Reserve large-scale use for intentional brand moments.
Dark Red earns its place in a palette by doing something specific. Deploy it with that purpose in mind and it will deliver.
Dark Red Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Dark Red (#8B0000) achieves a 10.01:1 contrast ratio with white 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: 5.5%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 10.01:1 — AAA ✓
- As text on black (#000000): 2.10:1 — Fail
- Best text color on Dark Red background: White (#FFFFFF) at 10.01:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 5.5% — low luminance (dark)—it provides strong contrast for white and light overlaid text, functioning well as a background in dark-mode and header contexts
- Dark Red 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.
Dark Red's WCAG profile makes it a compliant choice for most text applications.
Dark Red in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Across industry research, red-family tones consistently outperform competitors in categories built on energy, passion, urgency, and power. Dark Red is a deep 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: Chipotle, Sweetgreen, 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: Shopify merchant sites, ASOS, H&M) 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: Dark Red 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, Dark Red works effectively in error states, notification badges, sports branding—contexts where passion serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
Dark Red 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 Dark Red? ▾
- The hex code for Dark Red is #8B0000. Its RGB values are rgb(139, 0, 0) and its HSL values are hsl(0, 100%, 27%).
- What does Dark Red 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 deeper, richer tone gives it gravitas and sophistication, making it well-suited for primary brand colors, typography, and contexts where authority matters.
- Is Dark Red WCAG accessible? ▾
- Dark Red (#8B0000) passes WCAG AAA on white with a 10.01:1 contrast ratio. Its overall accessibility score is 96/100.
- What colors go well with Dark Red? ▾
- Dark Red pairs well with its complementary color Iron Gray (#595E5E). Analogous colors like Hot Pink and Burgundy also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Dark Red used for? ▾
- Dark Red 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 Dark Red? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #8B0000` or `background-color: #8B0000`. The CSS custom property is `--color-dark-red: #8B0000`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#8B0000]` for backgrounds or `text-[#8B0000]` for text.