What color is #BF3638?

#BF3638 is a medium red. In RGB it is rgb(191, 54, 56), and in HSL hsl(359, 56%, 48%).

Is #BF3638 accessible as text?

On white, #BF3638 has a contrast ratio of 5.53:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.80:1 (fails). For text placed on #BF3638, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BF3638?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is orange-700 (#CA3500).

What colors go well with #BF3638?

#BF3638 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #36BFBD. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BF3638 below.

Is #BF3638 good for buttons?

#BF3638 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #BF3638 — black text only reaches 3.80:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BF3638 the same as CSS firebrick?

No — #BF3638 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.

#BF3638 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BF3638

Not just a swatch — here's how #BF3638 works with other colors. Named schemes with #BF3638 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #BF3638 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.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #BF3638 Anchor #3A2A21 Surface #F0E2D0 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 #BF3638 Secondary #7B4928 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 #BF3638 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 #BF3638 Secondary #BB8A86 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 #BF3638 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 95/100

Warm

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

Softness 37/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 48/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 51/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 52/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 50/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 47/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 95/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 11/100

Very low

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

Print safety 81/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BF3638

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BF3638 with

Mulberry Bronze 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 5.5:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #BF6136 — 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 #BF3638 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: #BF3638;
  --color-base-rgb: 191 54 56;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(54.0% 0.174 24.4);
  --color-50: #FCF3F3;
  --color-100: #F7DFDF;
  --color-200: #EDBFC0;
  --color-300: #DC9395;
  --color-400: #C76B6C;
  --color-500: #AC494B;
  --color-600: #843E3F;
  --color-700: #5E3132;
  --color-800: #3E2323;
  --color-900: #261717;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cardinal: {
    50: '#FCF3F3',
    100: '#F7DFDF',
    200: '#EDBFC0',
    300: '#DC9395',
    400: '#C76B6C',
    500: '#AC494B',
    600: '#843E3F',
    700: '#5E3132',
    800: '#3E2323',
    900: '#261717',
  },
}

$base: #BF3638;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FCF3F3;
$base-100: #F7DFDF;
$base-200: #EDBFC0;
$base-300: #DC9395;
$base-400: #C76B6C;
$base-500: #AC494B;
$base-600: #843E3F;
$base-700: #5E3132;
$base-800: #3E2323;
$base-900: #261717;
$base-hover: #992B2D;
$base-subtle: #E8C6C7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BF3638",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FCF3F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F7DFDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#EDBFC0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#DC9395",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#C76B6C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#AC494B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#843E3F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#5E3132",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#3E2323",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#261717",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #BF3638

Color Lab

Pairs with #BF3638

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export