Color family
Shades of red
A vivid red with warm undertones. The reference red is #FF0000, as defined by the CSS named color.
| HEX | #FF0000 | |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(255, 0, 0) | |
| HSL | hsl(0, 100%, 50%) | |
| HSV | hsv(0, 100%, 100%) | |
| OKLCH | oklch(62.8% 0.258 29.2) | |
| CMYK* | 0, 100, 100, 0 |
* CMYK is a simple conversion without a print profile; ask your printer for exact values.
What color is red?
Red sits at the long-wavelength end of the visible spectrum, roughly 620 to 750 nanometres, and is one of the three primaries of every screen. The CSS keyword red is the purest red a standard display can show, #FF0000: the red channel at full strength and nothing else. Most named reds are darker or lean toward orange (scarlet, vermilion) or toward blue (crimson, raspberry).
Red hex codes by source
Color names are not standardized, so the same name can point to different colors. Here is every definition of red in our three sources, with how close each one is to the reference.
| Name | HEX | Source | Compared with the reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | #FF0000 | CSS named color | Reference shown on this page |
| Red | #E50000 | xkcd Color Survey | Close · 79% similar |
| Red | #FF0000 | Color Names (meodai) | Same color |
Red vs Crimson
#FF0000
#DC143C
Crimson is a deeper red with a slight blue lean, while pure red has none. In numbers: the two are 69% similar (OKLab distance 0.077). See Crimson for its own codes.
Named shades of red
76 names in the CSS keywords and the xkcd Color Survey belong to the red family. They are sorted from light to dark; click a swatch to copy its code, or open the ones with their own page.
Medium red shades 44
Dark red shades 32
Tints and shades of red
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 red
Classic color-wheel combinations built on #FF0000, computed in OKLCH so the partners keep the same lightness and intensity. Each swatch shows the nearest common name.
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Split complementary
Red 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 red background, black text is the better choice.
Use red in CSS
.red {
color: #FF0000;
/* or */ color: rgb(255 0 0);
/* or */ color: hsl(0 100% 50%);
/* or */ color: oklch(62.8% 0.258 29.2);
/* CSS keyword */ color: red;
}