#8B0000Dark Red (#8B0000) is a dark, saturated red with an OKLCH hue of 29°, lightness 0.4 and chroma 0.164. 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 | #8B0000 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(139, 0, 0) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 100%, 27%) |
| HSV | hsv(0, 100%, 55%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 100%, 100%, 45%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(28.1 51 41.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.400 0.164 29) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Dark Red is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.5), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#8b0000 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#8d0000 — ΔE 0.5, is virtually unchanged#8b0000 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#8b0100 — ΔE 0.1, is virtually unchangedAgainst white it measures 10.01:1 and against black 2.1:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black text on this color entirely.
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.
#db7b6d · #b94e41 · #8b0000 · #630000 · #2f0000 · #080000
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.
#995500 · #913900 · #8b0000 · #6d0022 · #500029 · #350028
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.
#dbb879 · #e47c6e · #a57700 · #7b5e26 · #8b0000 · #5d0000
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.
#00dcf5 · #b27369 · #805c56 · #8b0000 · #4f140e · #260503
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#e1f6fa · #ba9f9a · #556366 · #8b0000 · #422925 · #000203
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.
#e6f5f7 · #bccdd0 · #8ea1a5 · #0f2a2e · #00070a · #8b0000
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d7f9ff · #00bbd0 · #006d7a · #8b0000 · #00383f · #080000
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#d7dbb5 · #86c1e0 · #508173 · #52634f · #8b0000 · #1b0c03
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#dcfce0 · #65bd78 · #3c55bc · #8b0000 · #172375 · #000200
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#eef7d2 · #9db24a · #006d7a · #8b0000 · #3c136b · #000304
#A4382D · #BC5D50 · #D38074 · #E9A398 · #FEC6BD
#760000 · #620000 · #4E0000 · #3B0000 · #2A0000
#7F2219 · #723128 · #643B35
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.