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bg-red-500

Tailwind Red 500

#EF4444·Red family·Shade 500

Color Values

HEX
#EF4444
RGB
rgb(239, 68, 68)
HSL
hsl(0, 84%, 60%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.637 0.208 25)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 72%, 72%, 6%)
CSS Variable
var(--color-red-500)
Tailwind Class
bg-red-500

Accessibility Score

60/100

Good

Based on WCAG 2.1 contrast ratios against white and black backgrounds.

On White

3.76:1

AA Large

On Black

5.58:1

AA
Test in Contrast Checker →

Tailwind Usage — All Utilities

Background

bg-red-500

Text

text-red-500

Border

border-red-500

Ring

ring-red-500

Outline

outline-red-500

Fill

fill-red-500

Stroke

stroke-red-500

From (gradient)

from-red-500

Via (gradient)

via-red-500

To (gradient)

to-red-500

Placeholder

placeholder-red-500

Caret

caret-red-500

Accent

accent-red-500

Decoration

decoration-red-500

Shadow Color

shadow-red-500

Tailwind v3 Config (extend custom color)

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { 'red-500': '#ef4444', }, }, }, };

CSS Equivalent

/* Hex */
background-color: #EF4444;

/* RGB */
background-color: rgb(239, 68, 68);

/* HSL */
background-color: hsl(0, 84%, 60%);

/* OKLCH (CSS Color Level 4) */
background-color: oklch(0.637 0.208 25);

/* CSS Custom Property (Tailwind v4) */
background-color: var(--color-red-500);

/* Gradient example */
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #fef2f2 0%, #dc2626 100%);

OKLCH — Modern Color Space

Lightness (L)

0.637

64% perceived brightness

Chroma (C)

0.208

Color intensity / saturation

Hue (H)

25°

Angle on perceptual hue wheel

oklch(0.637 0.208 25)

OKLCH is a perceptually uniform color space in CSS Color Level 4. Unlike HSL, equal steps in L produce equal perceived lightness changes — making it ideal for building accessible, harmonious design system scales.

Design Recommendations

Primary brand color

Shade 500 of the Red palette

Recommended Uses

  • ✓CTA buttons
  • ✓Active navigation links
  • ✓Primary brand accents
  • ✓Interactive element fills
  • ✓Highlighted badges

Avoid

✗Text on dark/black backgrounds — check contrast before use.

Preview

On White

Aa Bb Cc

On Black

Aa Bb Cc

As Background

Aa Bb Cc — #EF4444

Red Shades

50

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

950

Similar Tailwind Colors

Perceptually close shades from other Tailwind color families.

Tailwind Rose 500

#F43F5E

Tailwind Orange 600

#EA580C

Tailwind Pink 500

#EC4899

Tailwind Pink 600

#DB2777

Tailwind Rose 600

#E11D48

Tailwind Orange 700

#C2410C

Nearest Named Color

Tailwind Red 500

Nearest Tailwind equivalent — #EF4444

Design & Accessibility Guides

Guide

Building an Accessible Color System

Design Systems · 10 min read

Guide

WCAG Contrast Ratios Explained

WCAG · 8 min read

Guide

WCAG AA vs AAA: Which Standard Should You Target?

WCAG · 7 min read

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hex code for Tailwind Red 500?
Tailwind Red 500 has the hex code #EF4444. Its RGB value is rgb(239, 68, 68) and its HSL value is hsl(0, 84%, 60%).
What Tailwind utility classes use Red 500?
Use bg-red-500 for backgrounds, text-red-500 for text color, border-red-500 for borders, and ring-red-500 for focus rings. In Tailwind v4 the CSS variable var(--color-red-500) is available natively.
Is Tailwind Red 500 WCAG accessible?
Tailwind Red 500 achieves a 3.76:1 contrast ratio on white (AA Large) and 5.58:1 on black (AA). Its overall accessibility score is 60/100 (Good).
What is the OKLCH value for Tailwind Red 500?
Tailwind Red 500 in OKLCH is oklch(0.637 0.208 25) — lightness 0.637, chroma 0.208, hue 25°. OKLCH is a perceptually uniform space supported natively in modern CSS via the `color()` function.
What is Tailwind Red 500 used for?
At shade 500, Tailwind Red 500 is best described as "Primary brand color". Recommended uses: CTA buttons, Active navigation links, Primary brand accents.
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