What color is #BD162F?

#BD162F is a medium, vivid red. In RGB it is rgb(189, 22, 47), and in HSL hsl(351, 79%, 41%).

Is #BD162F accessible as text?

On white, #BD162F 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 #BD162F, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BD162F?

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

What colors go well with #BD162F?

#BD162F pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #16BBA2. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BD162F below.

Is #BD162F good for buttons?

#BD162F works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #BD162F — black text only reaches 3.32:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BD162F the same as CSS firebrick?

No — #BD162F 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.

#BD162F Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BD162F

Not just a swatch — here's how #BD162F works with other colors. Named schemes with #BD162F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #BD162F 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 #BD162F 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 #BD162F Secondary #7C4928 Surface #EAD9C0 Accent #43503A 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 #BD162F 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 #BD162F 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 #BD162F 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 30/100

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 75/100

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 #BD162F

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BD162F with

Byzantine Burnt Orange 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 #F2D0D5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #BB3416 — 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 #BD162F at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #BD162F;
  --color-base-rgb: 189 22 47;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(51.2% 0.195 21.7);
  --color-50: #FEF1F3;
  --color-100: #FCDADF;
  --color-200: #F6B6C0;
  --color-300: #EB8594;
  --color-400: #DA586B;
  --color-500: #C0354A;
  --color-600: #92303E;
  --color-700: #672831;
  --color-800: #431D23;
  --color-900: #291417;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cardinal: {
    50: '#FEF1F3',
    100: '#FCDADF',
    200: '#F6B6C0',
    300: '#EB8594',
    400: '#DA586B',
    500: '#C0354A',
    600: '#92303E',
    700: '#672831',
    800: '#431D23',
    900: '#291417',
  },
}

$base: #BD162F;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF1F3;
$base-100: #FCDADF;
$base-200: #F6B6C0;
$base-300: #EB8594;
$base-400: #DA586B;
$base-500: #C0354A;
$base-600: #92303E;
$base-700: #672831;
$base-800: #431D23;
$base-900: #291417;
$base-hover: #961225;
$base-subtle: #EDB7BF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BD162F",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF1F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FCDADF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F6B6C0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#EB8594",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#DA586B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#C0354A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#92303E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#672831",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#431D23",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#291417",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}