Red family
Crimson color
A deep, vivid red with warm undertones. The reference crimson is #DC143C, as defined by the CSS named color.
| HEX | #DC143C | |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(220, 20, 60) | |
| HSL | hsl(348, 83%, 47%) | |
| HSV | hsv(348, 91%, 86%) | |
| OKLCH | oklch(57.1% 0.222 20.1) | |
| CMYK* | 0, 91, 73, 14 |
* CMYK is a simple conversion without a print profile; ask your printer for exact values.
What color is crimson?
Crimson is a strong, slightly bluish red. The name traces back through medieval Latin to the Arabic and Persian word qirmiz, the kermes insect from which the dye was made. The CSS crimson is bright; the crimson chosen in the xkcd survey is much darker, closer to a deep blood red.
Crimson hex codes by source
Color names are not standardized, so the same name can point to different colors. Here is every definition of crimson in our three sources, with how close each one is to the reference.
| Name | HEX | Source | Compared with the reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimson | #DC143C | CSS named color | Reference shown on this page |
| Crimson | #8C000F | xkcd Color Survey | Noticeably different · 28% similar |
| Crimson | #8C000F | Color Names (meodai) | Noticeably different · 28% similar |
Crimson vs Scarlet
#DC143C
#FF2400
Scarlet leans orange, crimson leans blue. Crimson is also usually the darker of the two. In numbers: the two are 66% similar (OKLab distance 0.085). See Scarlet for its own codes.
Colors similar to crimson
The closest named colors to #DC143C across all three sources, with their similarity in OKLab.
Tints and shades of crimson
The same hue from light to dark, generated in OKLab so the steps look even. Click a step to copy its HEX code.
Colors that go with crimson
Classic color-wheel combinations built on #DC143C, computed in OKLCH so the partners keep the same lightness and intensity. Each swatch shows the nearest common name.
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split complementary
Crimson with white and black text
WCAG asks for a contrast of at least 4.5:1 for body text (AA) and 3:1 for large text. On a crimson background, white text is the better choice.
Use crimson in CSS
.crimson {
color: #DC143C;
/* or */ color: rgb(220 20 60);
/* or */ color: hsl(348 83% 47%);
/* or */ color: oklch(57.1% 0.222 20.1);
/* CSS keyword */ color: crimson;
}