What color is #DE281B?

#DE281B is a medium, vivid red. In RGB it is rgb(222, 40, 27), and in HSL hsl(4, 78%, 49%).

Is #DE281B accessible as text?

On white, #DE281B has a contrast ratio of 4.75:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 4.43:1 (fails). For text placed on #DE281B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #DE281B?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is red-600 (#E7000B).

What colors go well with #DE281B?

#DE281B pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #1BD1DE. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #DE281B below.

Is #DE281B good for buttons?

#DE281B works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #DE281B — black text only reaches 4.43:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #DE281B the same as CSS crimson?

No — #DE281B is not the CSS named color crimson, but crimson (#DC143C) is the closest CSS named color.

#DE281B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #DE281B

Not just a swatch — here's how #DE281B works with other colors. Named schemes with #DE281B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #DE281B Secondary #E76F53 Accent #EA9C35 Anchor #5C3950 Surface #F4E8D6

Rosso Corsa 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 #DE281B Anchor #3A2A21 Surface #F0E2D0 Accent #969664 Secondary #3C3833

Rosso Corsa 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 #DE281B Secondary #7B4927 Surface #EAD9C0 Accent #43503A Anchor #5A222E

Rosso Corsa 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 #DE281B Surface #F3E6D6 Anchor #5F2036 Accent #E6C2C1 Secondary #332B2D

Rosso Corsa 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 #DE281B Secondary #D09389 Support #9B9186 Ink #17140F

Rosso Corsa 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 Rosso Corsa carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #DE281B 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 34/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 45/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 20/100

Low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 43/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 84/100

Very high

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 75/100

High

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

Surface fit 15/100

Very low

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

Print safety 76/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #DE281B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #DE281B with

Deep Pink Gamboge Dark Turquoise 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 4.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F4D8D6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #DE691B — 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 #DE281B 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: #DE281B;
  --color-base-rgb: 222 40 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(58.1% 0.217 29.6);
  --color-50: #FEF2F1;
  --color-100: #FBDCDA;
  --color-200: #F6BBB6;
  --color-300: #EA8C85;
  --color-400: #DA6158;
  --color-500: #BF3F36;
  --color-600: #913730;
  --color-700: #672C28;
  --color-800: #43201E;
  --color-900: #291514;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  rosso-corsa: {
    50: '#FEF2F1',
    100: '#FBDCDA',
    200: '#F6BBB6',
    300: '#EA8C85',
    400: '#DA6158',
    500: '#BF3F36',
    600: '#913730',
    700: '#672C28',
    800: '#43201E',
    900: '#291514',
  },
}

$base: #DE281B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF2F1;
$base-100: #FBDCDA;
$base-200: #F6BBB6;
$base-300: #EA8C85;
$base-400: #DA6158;
$base-500: #BF3F36;
$base-600: #913730;
$base-700: #672C28;
$base-800: #43201E;
$base-900: #291514;
$base-hover: #B22016;
$base-subtle: #EFC4C1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#DE281B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF2F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FBDCDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F6BBB6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#EA8C85",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#DA6158",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#BF3F36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#913730",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#672C28",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#43201E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#291514",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}