Crimson
crimson · #DC143C
HEX
#DC143C
RGB
rgb(220, 20, 60)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 91%, 73%, 14%)
HSL
hsl(348, 83%, 47%)
LAB
lab(47.0, 70.9, 33.6)
What is Crimson?
Crimson is the crimson reference in the CSS Named Colors. Its sRGB value is #DC143C (rgb 220, 20, 60). It sits in the red family. The 147 named colors defined by the W3C CSS Color Module Level 4 specification — usable directly in CSS as keywords like 'crimson' or 'rebeccapurple'. See disclaimer for accuracy and trademark notes.
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Crimson as a background.
Black text on this color
White text on this color
Shades, tints & tonal scale of Crimson
An 11-step tonal scale derived from Crimson (#DC143C). Click any swatch to copy its HEX. Use these as a starting point for design tokens, hover states, and disabled states in a design system.
50
#FCECEF
#FCECEF
100
#F9D9E0
#F9D9E0
200
#F4B4C1
#F4B4C1
300
#EE8A9E
#EE8A9E
400
#E54F6D
#E54F6D
500
#DC143C
#DC143C
600
#BB1133
#BB1133
700
#8F0D27
#8F0D27
800
#63091B
#63091B
900
#37050F
#37050F
950
#1A0207
#1A0207
Lighter tints (mixed with white)
15%
#E26E78
30%
#E7969C
45%
#EDB4B7
60%
#F2CCCE
75%
#F7E1E2
Darker shades (mixed with black)
15%
#CD1237
30%
#BC0F32
45%
#A80C2C
60%
#920925
75%
#75061C
Color harmonies for Crimson
Classic color-theory harmonies derived from rotating the hue of Crimson. Use these to build accent palettes, brand systems, and accessible UI color pairings.
Complementary
180° opposite — strongest contrast
#DC143C
#DC143C
#14DBB4
#14DBB4
Triadic
Three colors 120° apart
#DC143C
#DC143C
#3CDB14
#3CDB14
#143CDB
#143CDB
Analogous
Two neighbors ±30° on the wheel
#DB14A0
#DB14A0
#DC143C
#DC143C
#DB5014
#DB5014
Split-complementary
Base + two colors flanking its complement
#DC143C
#DC143C
#14DB50
#14DB50
#14A0DB
#14A0DB
Tetradic
Two complementary pairs
#DC143C
#DC143C
#DBB414
#DBB414
#14DBB4
#14DBB4
#143CDB
#143CDB
Square
Four colors evenly spaced 90° apart
#DC143C
#DC143C
#A0DB14
#A0DB14
#14DBB4
#14DBB4
#5014DB
#5014DB
Crimson in every color space
Full conversion of Crimson across the color spaces designers and developers actually use — including OKLCH (the perceptually-uniform space that powers Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4) and HWB.
HEX
#DC143C
RGB
rgb(220, 20, 60)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 91%, 73%, 14%)
HSL
hsl(348, 83%, 47%)
HSV
hsv(348, 91%, 86%)
HWB
hwb(348 8% 14%)
CIE Lab
lab(47.0 70.9 33.6)
OKLCH
oklch(57.1% 0.222 20.1)
XYZ (D65)
xyz(30.58, 16.05, 5.76)
Copy-ready code for Crimson
Drop-in snippets for CSS, Tailwind, Sass, iOS Swift, and Android XML. Click the copy button on any snippet to put it on your clipboard.
CSS
color: #DC143C;
background-color: #DC143C;CSS variable
:root {
--color-crimson: #DC143C;
}Tailwind config
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
'crimson': '#DC143C',
}Sass
$color-crimson: #DC143C;Swift UIColor
UIColor(red: 0.863, green: 0.078, blue: 0.235, alpha: 1.0)Android XML
<color name="crimson">#DC143C</color>Closest match in every color system
The nearest Crimson equivalent in every other color system on this site, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance. Useful when translating between design-system, web-standard, and industrial color references.
Closest in CSS Named Colors
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest entries within the same collection.
Closest Pantone matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantone references. Cross-system matching is approximate — see disclaimer.
Closest RAL Classic matches
Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references for industrial coating cross-reference.
RAL 3017
#E63244
Rose
RAL 3027
#C51D34
Raspberry red
RAL 3028
#CB3234
Pure red
RAL 3018
#D53032
Strawberry red
RAL 2002
#CB2821
Vermilion
RAL 3031
#B32428
Orient red
FAQ about Crimson
What is the HEX code for Crimson?
Crimson (crimson) has the HEX code #DC143C. In RGB it is rgb(220, 20, 60), and in CMYK it is cmyk(0%, 91%, 73%, 14%).
What is the OKLCH value of Crimson?
Crimson converts to oklch(0.571 0.222 20.1). OKLCH is the perceptually uniform color space used by Tailwind v4 and CSS Color Module Level 4.
Is Crimson accessible for body text?
Used as a background, Crimson has a contrast ratio of 4.21:1 with black text and 4.99:1 with white text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text. The current recommendation is to use white text and verify in real UI context.
What is the closest Pantone to Crimson?
The closest Pantone reference to Crimson by ΔE2000 perceptual distance is Pantone 199 C (#D50032). Cross-system Pantone matching is approximate; for color-critical print work, verify with a physical Pantone guide.
What is the closest RAL color to Crimson?
The closest RAL Classic reference to Crimson by ΔE2000 distance is RAL 3017 (Rose, #E63244). RAL is a German industrial coating standard commonly used for paint, powder coat, and architectural specification.
What is the complementary color of Crimson?
The complementary color (180° opposite on the HSL color wheel) of Crimson is #14DBB4. Use it for high-contrast accents, error states, or call-to-action pairings.
Data provenance & source
CSS Named Colors (CSS Color Module Level 4)
The 147 named colors defined by the W3C CSS Color Module Level 4 specification. Origin: VGA (16) + X11 (rest) + 'rebeccapurple'. Use as a reference for web color names that all browsers natively support. Names like 'crimson' or 'rebeccapurple' work as CSS values without any framework.
- Source type
- derived
- Confidence
- high
- License
- W3C permissive document license
- Last reviewed
- 2026-05-24
Workflow tags
CSS named colors are sRGB digital values defined for browsers. For print, convert to a process-appropriate color and proof against substrate.