What color is #BC042F?

#BC042F is a dark, vivid rose. In RGB it is rgb(188, 4, 47), and in HSL hsl(346, 96%, 38%).

Is #BC042F accessible as text?

On white, #BC042F has a contrast ratio of 6.57:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.20:1 (fails). For text placed on #BC042F, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BC042F?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is rose-700 (#C70036).

What colors go well with #BC042F?

#BC042F pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #04BE93. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BC042F below.

Is #BC042F good for buttons?

#BC042F works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #BC042F — black text only reaches 3.20:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BC042F the same as CSS firebrick?

No — #BC042F is not the CSS named color firebrick, but firebrick (#B22222) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#BC042F Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BC042F

Not just a swatch — here's how #BC042F works with other colors. Named schemes with #BC042F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #BC042F Secondary #E76E55 Accent #EB9B37 Anchor #5C3951 Surface #F5E8D6

Cardinal glows at the center of this sunset palette, joined by coral and gold, deepened by a plum anchor and cooled with cream.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #BC042F Anchor #3A2A21 Surface #F1E2D0 Accent #979664 Secondary #3C3833

Cardinal anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #BC042F Secondary #7C4928 Surface #EAD9C0 Accent #434F3A Anchor #5A222F

Cardinal plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #BC042F Surface #F3E6D6 Anchor #5F2037 Accent #E6C2C2 Secondary #332B2E

Cardinal sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #BC042F Secondary #B47C7B Support #9B9087 Ink #17140F

Cardinal is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Cardinal carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #BC042F actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 93/100

Warm

Reads warm and advancing — inviting, energetic, draws the eye forward.

Softness 32/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 53/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 25/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 51/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 78/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 85/100

Very high

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 8/100

Very low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 78/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BC042F

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BC042F with

Fuchsia Mahogany Jungle Green Gainsboro Taupe

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 6.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F5CAD4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #BE1604 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #BC042F at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #BC042F;
  --color-base-rgb: 188 4 47;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(50.4% 0.201 20.3);
  --color-50: #FEF0F4;
  --color-100: #FDD8E1;
  --color-200: #FCB1C2;
  --color-300: #F67A97;
  --color-400: #E84A6F;
  --color-500: #CF264D;
  --color-600: #9D2541;
  --color-700: #6E2133;
  --color-800: #481924;
  --color-900: #2C1218;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cardinal: {
    50: '#FEF0F4',
    100: '#FDD8E1',
    200: '#FCB1C2',
    300: '#F67A97',
    400: '#E84A6F',
    500: '#CF264D',
    600: '#9D2541',
    700: '#6E2133',
    800: '#481924',
    900: '#2C1218',
  },
}

$base: #BC042F;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF0F4;
$base-100: #FDD8E1;
$base-200: #FCB1C2;
$base-300: #F67A97;
$base-400: #E84A6F;
$base-500: #CF264D;
$base-600: #9D2541;
$base-700: #6E2133;
$base-800: #481924;
$base-900: #2C1218;
$base-hover: #980326;
$base-subtle: #F2ADBD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BC042F",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF0F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FDD8E1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#FCB1C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#F67A97",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#E84A6F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#CF264D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#9D2541",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#6E2133",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#481924",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#2C1218",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}