What color is #BD162D?

#BD162D is a medium, vivid red. In RGB it is rgb(189, 22, 45), and in HSL hsl(352, 79%, 41%).

Is #BD162D accessible as text?

On white, #BD162D has a contrast ratio of 6.33:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.32:1 (fails). For text placed on #BD162D, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BD162D?

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

What colors go well with #BD162D?

#BD162D pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #16BBA5. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BD162D below.

Is #BD162D good for buttons?

#BD162D works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #BD162D — black text only reaches 3.32:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BD162D the same as CSS firebrick?

No — #BD162D 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.

#BD162D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BD162D

Not just a swatch — here's how #BD162D works with other colors. Named schemes with #BD162D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #BD162D Secondary #E76E55 Accent #EB9B36 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 #BD162D 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 #BD162D Secondary #7C4928 Surface #EAD9C0 Accent #43503A Anchor #5A222E

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 #BD162D 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 #BD162D Secondary #B67F7D 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 #BD162D 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 94/100

Warm

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

Softness 33/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 52/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 31/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 39/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 50/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 76/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 88/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 9/100

Very low

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

Print safety 79/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BD162D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BD162D with

Medium Violet Red Ginger Light Sea 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 6.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F2D0D4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #BB3716 — 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 #BD162D 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: #BD162D;
  --color-base-rgb: 189 22 45;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(51.2% 0.196 22.4);
  --color-50: #FEF1F2;
  --color-100: #FCDADE;
  --color-200: #F6B6BF;
  --color-300: #EB8592;
  --color-400: #DA5869;
  --color-500: #C03547;
  --color-600: #92303D;
  --color-700: #672830;
  --color-800: #431D23;
  --color-900: #291417;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cardinal: {
    50: '#FEF1F2',
    100: '#FCDADE',
    200: '#F6B6BF',
    300: '#EB8592',
    400: '#DA5869',
    500: '#C03547',
    600: '#92303D',
    700: '#672830',
    800: '#431D23',
    900: '#291417',
  },
}

$base: #BD162D;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF1F2;
$base-100: #FCDADE;
$base-200: #F6B6BF;
$base-300: #EB8592;
$base-400: #DA5869;
$base-500: #C03547;
$base-600: #92303D;
$base-700: #672830;
$base-800: #431D23;
$base-900: #291417;
$base-hover: #961223;
$base-subtle: #EDB7BE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BD162D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF1F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FCDADE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F6B6BF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#EB8592",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#DA5869",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#C03547",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#92303D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#672830",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#431D23",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#291417",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}