Racing Red `#C21727`

Racing Red (#C21727) is a mid-tone, saturated red with an OKLCH hue of 24°, lightness 0.52 and chroma 0.2. 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.

Color values

HEX	`#C21727`
RGB	`rgb(194, 23, 39)`
HSL	`hsl(354, 79%, 43%)`
HSV	`hsv(354, 88%, 76%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 88%, 80%, 24%)`
CIE Lab	`lab(41.6 63 38.4)`
OKLCH	`oklch(0.521 0.200 24)`

How Racing Red behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Racing Red is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.6), so it is a lighting-stable choice.

Warm interior (2700K incandescent / warm LED): → #c20d22 — ΔE 0.6, is virtually unchanged
Neutral LED (4000K task and retail lighting): → #c51325 — ΔE 0.6, is virtually unchanged
Daylight (6500K standard daylight (reference)): → #c21727 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
Blue-sky shade (cool daylight (~10000K proxy)): → #c31828 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchanged

Test Racing Red in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.

Contrast & accessibility

Against white it measures 6.09:1 and against black 3.45:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text.

Colors that go with Racing Red

Tonal

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.

#ffa099 · #ef6460 · #c21727 · #990017 · #5f0009 · #2c0001

Analogous

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.

#d16e00 · #cd4906 · #c21727 · #a50043 · #840050 · #630054

Shifted

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.

#da9600 · #a87e3a · #c21727 · #940117 · #66000b · #281700

Contrast

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.

#00deee · #ab7c77 · #c21727 · #7b2d2b · #561113 · #2c0304

Quiet Support

The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.

#ddf8fb · #9a7b78 · #c21727 · #425456 · #341715 · #000304

Bright Accent

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 · #bccdcf · #8ea2a4 · #0f2a2d · #000709 · #c21727

Complementary

The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.

#d2fbff · #0095a1 · #c21727 · #005b63 · #00262a · #080000

Split-complementary

The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.

#d2fbff · #009a7f · #c21727 · #00577a · #00281f · #00050d

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.

#dafdd9 · #379b3f · #c21727 · #153fbb · #01006f · #000200

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.

#f0f7c9 · #828c00 · #c21727 · #005b63 · #290059 · #000304

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#D34847 · #E46B65 · #F38B84 · #FFABA4 · #FFCFCB

Shades

#A6001A · #860013 · #68000C · #4C0006 · #310002

Muted

#B23939 · #A14B47 · #8E5854

Using Racing Red

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.