What color is #BD282B?

#BD282B is a medium red. In RGB it is rgb(189, 40, 43), and in HSL hsl(359, 65%, 45%).

Is #BD282B accessible as text?

On white, #BD282B has a contrast ratio of 6.00:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.50:1 (fails). For text placed on #BD282B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BD282B?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is red-700 (#C10007).

What colors go well with #BD282B?

#BD282B pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #28BDBB. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BD282B below.

Is #BD282B good for buttons?

#BD282B works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #BD282B — black text only reaches 3.50:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BD282B the same as CSS firebrick?

No — #BD282B 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.

#BD282B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BD282B

Not just a swatch — here's how #BD282B works with other colors. Named schemes with #BD282B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #BD282B Anchor #3A2A21 Surface #F0E2D0 Accent #969664 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 #BD282B Secondary #7B4927 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.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #BD282B Secondary #B76326 Accent #787742 Surface #F4EBDD Anchor #3B2A21

This palette keeps Cardinal as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #BD282B Surface #F3E6D6 Anchor #5F2037 Accent #E6C2C1 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 #BD282B Secondary #B8847F Support #9B9186 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 #BD282B 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 96/100

Warm

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

Softness 35/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 51/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 43/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 50/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 50/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 92/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 10/100

Very low

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

Print safety 80/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BD282B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BD282B with

Mulberry Copper Tiffany Blue Gainsboro Espresso

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 6.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F0D6D6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #BD5728 — 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 #BD282B 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: #BD282B;
  --color-base-rgb: 189 40 43;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(52.3% 0.185 25.6);
  --color-50: #FDF2F2;
  --color-100: #F9DDDD;
  --color-200: #F1BCBD;
  --color-300: #E28E8F;
  --color-400: #CF6365;
  --color-500: #B44143;
  --color-600: #89383A;
  --color-700: #622D2E;
  --color-800: #402121;
  --color-900: #271616;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cardinal: {
    50: '#FDF2F2',
    100: '#F9DDDD',
    200: '#F1BCBD',
    300: '#E28E8F',
    400: '#CF6365',
    500: '#B44143',
    600: '#89383A',
    700: '#622D2E',
    800: '#402121',
    900: '#271616',
  },
}

$base: #BD282B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FDF2F2;
$base-100: #F9DDDD;
$base-200: #F1BCBD;
$base-300: #E28E8F;
$base-400: #CF6365;
$base-500: #B44143;
$base-600: #89383A;
$base-700: #622D2E;
$base-800: #402121;
$base-900: #271616;
$base-hover: #972022;
$base-subtle: #EAC0C1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BD282B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FDF2F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F9DDDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F1BCBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#E28E8F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#CF6365",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#B44143",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#89383A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#622D2E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#402121",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#271616",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #BD282B

Color Lab

Pairs with #BD282B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export