What color is #CB281C?

#CB281C is a medium, vivid brown. In RGB it is rgb(203, 40, 28), and in HSL hsl(4, 76%, 45%).

Is #CB281C accessible as text?

On white, #CB281C has a contrast ratio of 5.44:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.86:1 (fails). For text placed on #CB281C, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #CB281C?

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

What colors go well with #CB281C?

#CB281C pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #1CBECA. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #CB281C below.

Is #CB281C good for buttons?

#CB281C works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #CB281C — black text only reaches 3.86:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #CB281C the same as CSS crimson?

No — #CB281C is not the CSS named color crimson, but crimson (#DC143C) 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.

#CB281C Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #CB281C

Not just a swatch — here's how #CB281C works with other colors. Named schemes with #CB281C in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #CB281C Secondary #E76F53 Accent #EA9C35 Anchor #5C3950 Surface #F4E8D6

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 #CB281C 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 #CB281C 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 #CB281C Surface #F3E6D6 Anchor #5F2036 Accent #E6C2C1 Secondary #332B2D

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 #CB281C Secondary #C28A81 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 #CB281C 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 97/100

Warm

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

Softness 35/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 49/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 33/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 39/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 77/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 86/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 12/100

Very low

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

Print safety 78/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #CB281C

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #CB281C with

Razzmatazz Caramel 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 5.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F2D6D4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #CA611C — 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 #CB281C at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #CB281C;
  --color-base-rgb: 203 40 28;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(54.7% 0.200 29.5);
  --color-50: #FEF2F1;
  --color-100: #FBDCDA;
  --color-200: #F5BBB7;
  --color-300: #E98D87;
  --color-400: #D8625A;
  --color-500: #BD4037;
  --color-600: #903832;
  --color-700: #662D29;
  --color-800: #43211E;
  --color-900: #291614;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  fire-engine-red: {
    50: '#FEF2F1',
    100: '#FBDCDA',
    200: '#F5BBB7',
    300: '#E98D87',
    400: '#D8625A',
    500: '#BD4037',
    600: '#903832',
    700: '#662D29',
    800: '#43211E',
    900: '#291614',
  },
}

$base: #CB281C;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF2F1;
$base-100: #FBDCDA;
$base-200: #F5BBB7;
$base-300: #E98D87;
$base-400: #D8625A;
$base-500: #BD4037;
$base-600: #903832;
$base-700: #662D29;
$base-800: #43211E;
$base-900: #291614;
$base-hover: #A21F16;
$base-subtle: #EDC0BD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#CB281C",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF2F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FBDCDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F5BBB7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#E98D87",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#D8625A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#BD4037",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#903832",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#662D29",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#43211E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#291614",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}