What color is #EF1C09?

#EF1C09 is a medium, vivid red. In RGB it is rgb(239, 28, 9), and in HSL hsl(5, 93%, 49%).

Is #EF1C09 accessible as text?

On white, #EF1C09 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 #EF1C09, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #EF1C09?

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

What colors go well with #EF1C09?

#EF1C09 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #09DEF1. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #EF1C09 below.

Is #EF1C09 good for buttons?

#EF1C09 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #EF1C09 — white text only reaches 4.34:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #EF1C09 the same as CSS red?

No — #EF1C09 is not the CSS named color red, but red (#FF0000) is the closest CSS named color.

#EF1C09 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #EF1C09

Not just a swatch — here's how #EF1C09 works with other colors. Named schemes with #EF1C09 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Sunset Warmth Glow · 5 colors

Glow #EF1C09 Secondary #E76F52 Accent #EA9C35 Anchor #5C3950 Surface #F4E8D6

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 #EF1C09 Anchor #3A2A21 Surface #F0E2D0 Accent #969664 Secondary #3B3833

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 #EF1C09 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 #EF1C09 Surface #F3E6D6 Anchor #5F2036 Accent #E6C2C1 Secondary #332B2D

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 #EF1C09 Secondary #DC998D 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 #EF1C09 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 33/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 43/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 10/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 17/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 40/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 92/100

Very high

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 62/100

High

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

Surface fit 18/100

Very low

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

Print safety 74/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #EF1C09

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #EF1C09 with

Deep Pink Marigold Lagoon Blue 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 #F6D6D4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #F16A09 — 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 #EF1C09 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: #EF1C09;
  --color-base-rgb: 239 28 9;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.5% 0.238 30.0);
  --color-50: #FEF1F0;
  --color-100: #FDDBD8;
  --color-200: #FCB7B1;
  --color-300: #F4867C;
  --color-400: #E6594C;
  --color-500: #CC3629;
  --color-600: #9B3127;
  --color-700: #6D2822;
  --color-800: #471E1A;
  --color-900: #2B1412;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  imperial-red: {
    50: '#FEF1F0',
    100: '#FDDBD8',
    200: '#FCB7B1',
    300: '#F4867C',
    400: '#E6594C',
    500: '#CC3629',
    600: '#9B3127',
    700: '#6D2822',
    800: '#471E1A',
    900: '#2B1412',
  },
}

$base: #EF1C09;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #FEF1F0;
$base-100: #FDDBD8;
$base-200: #FCB7B1;
$base-300: #F4867C;
$base-400: #E6594C;
$base-500: #CC3629;
$base-600: #9B3127;
$base-700: #6D2822;
$base-800: #471E1A;
$base-900: #2B1412;
$base-hover: #C11607;
$base-subtle: #F4C1BC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#EF1C09",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF1F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FDDBD8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#FCB7B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#F4867C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#E6594C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#CC3629",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#9B3127",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#6D2822",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#471E1A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#2B1412",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #EF1C09

Color Lab

Pairs with #EF1C09

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export