#C41E3ACardinal (#C41E3A) is a mid-tone, saturated red with an OKLCH hue of 20°, lightness 0.53 and chroma 0.197. It sits on the warm side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as an accent color: strong in focal moments, dominant over large fields.
| HEX | #C41E3A |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(196, 30, 58) |
| HSL | hsl(350, 73%, 44%) |
| HSV | hsv(350, 85%, 77%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 85%, 70%, 23%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(42.7 62.9 28.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.531 0.197 20) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Cardinal is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.7), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#c41635 — ΔE 0.7, is virtually unchanged#c71b38 — ΔE 0.6, is virtually unchanged#c41e3a — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#c51f3b — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest Cardinal in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 5.84:1 and against black 3.59:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#ffa5a5 · #f1676f · #c41e3a · #9d0027 · #630014 · #2f0005
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#d66f23 · #d04b28 · #c41e3a · #a50e50 · #85075b · #64055d
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#e49400 · #ae7f41 · #c41e3a · #960a27 · #6a0017 · #2c1800
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#00dfe7 · #ae7e7e · #c41e3a · #7e3034 · #58141b · #2f0409
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#ddf8f9 · #9d7d7d · #c41e3a · #455757 · #351818 · #000202
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#e6f5f6 · #bbcdcd · #8ca0a1 · #0b2729 · #000506 · #c41e3a
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d8d3ae · #30a8d2 · #a1718f · #c41e3a · #455681 · #030f26
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#cbfdff · #009e7a · #c41e3a · #005b79 · #00291e · #00050c
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#defcd6 · #4d9c37 · #c41e3a · #004ab2 · #001d53 · #000200
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#f4f6c8 · #8d8c00 · #c41e3a · #005f63 · #260060 · #000203
#D54B55 · #E56D71 · #F38C8D · #FFABAB · #FFCFCF
#A7082C · #890020 · #6A0017 · #4D000D · #320005
#B43C46 · #A34E51 · #915B5B
Its chroma is high enough to carry accents, calls to action, and focal moments; large fields of it will dominate a composition. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.