What color is #CB181B?

#CB181B is a medium, vivid red. In RGB it is rgb(203, 24, 27), and in HSL hsl(359, 79%, 45%).

Is #CB181B accessible as text?

On white, #CB181B has a contrast ratio of 5.70:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.69:1 (fails). For text placed on #CB181B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #CB181B?

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

What colors go well with #CB181B?

#CB181B pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #18CDCA. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #CB181B below.

Is #CB181B good for buttons?

#CB181B works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #CB181B — black text only reaches 3.69:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #CB181B the same as CSS crimson?

No — #CB181B is not the CSS named color crimson, but crimson (#DC143C) is the closest CSS named color.

#CB181B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #CB181B

Not just a swatch — here's how #CB181B works with other colors. Named schemes with #CB181B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #CB181B Secondary #E76F53 Accent #EA9C35 Anchor #5C3951 Surface #F5E8D6

Fire Engine Red 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 #CB181B Anchor #3A2A21 Surface #F0E2D0 Accent #969664 Secondary #3C3833

Fire Engine Red 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 #CB181B Secondary #7B4927 Surface #EAD9C0 Accent #43503A Anchor #5A222E

Fire Engine Red 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 #CB181B Surface #F3E6D6 Anchor #5F2037 Accent #E6C2C1 Secondary #332B2E

Fire Engine Red 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 #CB181B Secondary #C1867F Support #9B9186 Ink #17140F

Fire Engine Red 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 Fire Engine Red carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #CB181B 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 33/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 50/100

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 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 80/100

Very high

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 83/100

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 77/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #CB181B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #CB181B with

Deep Pink Bronze Robin Egg 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 5.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F3D3D4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #CD5218 — 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 #CB181B 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: #CB181B;
  --color-base-rgb: 203 24 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(53.7% 0.208 27.6);
  --color-50: #FEF1F1;
  --color-100: #FCDADA;
  --color-200: #F6B6B7;
  --color-300: #EB8586;
  --color-400: #DA585A;
  --color-500: #C03537;
  --color-600: #923031;
  --color-700: #672829;
  --color-800: #431D1E;
  --color-900: #291414;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  fire-engine-red: {
    50: '#FEF1F1',
    100: '#FCDADA',
    200: '#F6B6B7',
    300: '#EB8586',
    400: '#DA585A',
    500: '#C03537',
    600: '#923031',
    700: '#672829',
    800: '#431D1E',
    900: '#291414',
  },
}

$base: #CB181B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF1F1;
$base-100: #FCDADA;
$base-200: #F6B6B7;
$base-300: #EB8586;
$base-400: #DA585A;
$base-500: #C03537;
$base-600: #923031;
$base-700: #672829;
$base-800: #431D1E;
$base-900: #291414;
$base-hover: #A41316;
$base-subtle: #EEBCBD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#CB181B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF1F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FCDADA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F6B6B7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#EB8586",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#DA585A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#C03537",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#923031",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#672829",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#431D1E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#291414",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}