What color is #EC232A?

#EC232A is a medium, vivid red. In RGB it is rgb(236, 35, 42), and in HSL hsl(358, 84%, 53%).

Is #EC232A accessible as text?

On white, #EC232A has a contrast ratio of 4.34:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 4.84:1 (passes). For text placed on #EC232A, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #EC232A?

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

What colors go well with #EC232A?

#EC232A pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #22ECE5. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #EC232A below.

Is #EC232A good for buttons?

#EC232A works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #EC232A — white text only reaches 4.34:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #EC232A the same as CSS red?

No — #EC232A is not the CSS named color red, but red (#FF0000) is the closest CSS named color.

#EC232A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #EC232A

Not just a swatch — here's how #EC232A works with other colors. Named schemes with #EC232A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #EC232A Secondary #E76F53 Accent #EB9C35 Anchor #5C3951 Surface #F5E8D6

Imperial 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 #EC232A Anchor #3A2A21 Surface #F0E2D0 Accent #969664 Secondary #3C3833

Imperial 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 #EC232A Secondary #7B4927 Surface #EAD9C0 Accent #43503A Anchor #5A222E

Imperial 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 #EC232A Surface #F3E6D6 Anchor #5F2037 Accent #E6C2C1 Secondary #332B2E

Imperial 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 #EC232A Secondary #DB9991 Support #9B9186 Ink #17140F

Imperial 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 Imperial Red carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #EC232A 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 34/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 43/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 12/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 21/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 41/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 89/100

Very high

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 66/100

High

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

Surface fit 17/100

Very low

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

Print safety 75/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #EC232A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #EC232A with

Fuchsia Carrot Turquoise Gainsboro Espresso

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Too mid-tone for a filled button — darken for the fill. AA Large

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 4.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F6D9D9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #EC5F22 — 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 #EC232A 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: #EC232A;
  --color-base-rgb: 236 35 42;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.5% 0.230 26.5);
  --color-50: #FEF0F1;
  --color-100: #FDD8DA;
  --color-200: #F8B4B6;
  --color-300: #EE8185;
  --color-400: #DF5358;
  --color-500: #C43035;
  --color-600: #952D30;
  --color-700: #692528;
  --color-800: #451C1E;
  --color-900: #2A1314;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  imperial-red: {
    50: '#FEF0F1',
    100: '#FDD8DA',
    200: '#F8B4B6',
    300: '#EE8185',
    400: '#DF5358',
    500: '#C43035',
    600: '#952D30',
    700: '#692528',
    800: '#451C1E',
    900: '#2A1314',
  },
}

$base: #EC232A;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #FEF0F1;
$base-100: #FDD8DA;
$base-200: #F8B4B6;
$base-300: #EE8185;
$base-400: #DF5358;
$base-500: #C43035;
$base-600: #952D30;
$base-700: #692528;
$base-800: #451C1E;
$base-900: #2A1314;
$base-hover: #C71117;
$base-subtle: #F2C4C6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#EC232A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF0F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FDD8DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F8B4B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#EE8185",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#DF5358",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#C43035",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#952D30",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#692528",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#451C1E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#2A1314",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}