Shades of Red
Named shades of red — from bright coral and warm tomato all the way to deep ruby, carmine, and dark burgundy.
Pink
#FFC0CB
rgb(255, 192, 203)
The lightest red-family color — sweet, delicate, and feminine
Salmon Pink
#FF91A4
rgb(255, 145, 164)
Warm pink with peachy undertones — named for salmon flesh
Coral Pink
#F88379
rgb(248, 131, 121)
Orange-pink — soft and warm, like tropical coral
Salmon
#FA8072
rgb(250, 128, 114)
Classic orange-pink — warm, food-forward, and approachable
Coral
#FF6B6B
rgb(255, 107, 107)
Warm orange-red — lively, tropical, and approachable
Terra Cotta
#E2725B
rgb(226, 114, 91)
Earthy red-orange — named for fired and glazed clay
Cinnabar
#E44D2E
rgb(228, 77, 46)
Orange-red — named for the bright red mercury sulfide mineral
Chili Red
#E23D28
rgb(226, 61, 40)
Warm red-orange — the heat of dried chili peppers
Tomato Red
#FF4040
rgb(255, 64, 64)
Bright, food-forward red — clean and immediately appetizing
RGB Red
#FF0000
rgb(255, 0, 0)
Pure additive red — maximum channel saturation
Scarlet
#FF2400
rgb(255, 36, 0)
Intense, pure red — bold, dramatic, and unmissable
Crayola Red
#EE204D
rgb(238, 32, 77)
The iconic red from the standard Crayola crayon box
CMYK Red
#ED1C24
rgb(237, 28, 36)
The standard red in four-color CMYK printing
Imperial Red
#ED2939
rgb(237, 41, 57)
A vivid pure red — used in flags and imperial heraldry
Munsell Red
#F2003C
rgb(242, 0, 60)
The Munsell color system's defined standard red
Spanish Red
#E60026
rgb(230, 0, 38)
The vivid red from the Spanish national flag
NCS Red
#C40233
rgb(196, 2, 51)
The Natural Color System's reference red
Rose
#FF007F
rgb(255, 0, 127)
Saturated pink-red — vivid, passionate, and romantic
Raspberry
#E30B5C
rgb(227, 11, 92)
Deep pink-red — fruity, rich, and energetic
Cherry
#DE3163
rgb(222, 49, 99)
Deep, slightly cool pink-red — sweet and striking
Rusty Red
#DA2C43
rgb(218, 44, 67)
Warm, slightly orange deep red — the color of iron rust
Pantone Red
#ED2939
rgb(237, 41, 57)
Pantone's standard red — clean, vivid, and reliable
Crimson
#DC143C
rgb(220, 20, 60)
Classic deep red — dramatic, powerful, and refined
Fire Engine Red
#CE2029
rgb(206, 32, 41)
Pure, saturated red — maximum urgency and attention
Brick Red
#CB4154
rgb(203, 65, 84)
Muted, earthy red — warm like aged fired brick
Indian Red
#CD5C5C
rgb(205, 92, 92)
Muted dusty red — not from India but from the pigment Indian red
Redwood
#A45A52
rgb(164, 90, 82)
Warm brownish red — the color of redwood lumber
Cornell Red
#B31B1B
rgb(179, 27, 27)
Cornell University's official deep red
Fire Brick
#B22222
rgb(178, 34, 34)
Deep, slightly orange red — the color of fire-hardened brick
Turkey Red
#A91101
rgb(169, 17, 1)
A historic textile dye red — warm, deep, and enduring
Cardinal
#C41E3A
rgb(196, 30, 58)
The rich red of a cardinal bird — used by many universities
OU Crimson Red
#841617
rgb(132, 22, 23)
University of Oklahoma's official crimson brand color
Ruby
#9B111E
rgb(155, 17, 30)
Deep red with a purple note — rich as the gemstone
Carmine
#960018
rgb(150, 0, 24)
Dark, slightly cool deep red — a classic artist's pigment
Madder Red
#A50021
rgb(165, 0, 33)
Historic dye red from the madder root — deep and earthy
NCS Red
#C40233
rgb(196, 2, 51)
The Natural Color System's reference red
Dark Red
#8B0000
rgb(139, 0, 0)
CSS dark red — the deepest named web red
Barn Red
#7C0A02
rgb(124, 10, 2)
The earthy, rusty red of painted American farm buildings
Maroon
#800000
rgb(128, 0, 0)
Deep brownish-red — the darkest common named red
Burgundy
#800020
rgb(128, 0, 32)
Deep wine-red — sophisticated, luxurious, and enduring
Blood Red
#660000
rgb(102, 0, 0)
Very dark red — intense, visceral, and dramatic
Chocolate Cosmos
#58111A
rgb(88, 17, 26)
Near-black dark red — the rare night-blooming chocolate cosmos flower
About Shades of Red
Red is the most psychologically intense of all colors. It commands attention faster than any other hue, raises heart rate, and triggers strong emotional responses in almost every viewer. Named shades of red span a remarkable spectrum — from the warm, approachable lightness of coral and terra cotta, through the vivid urgency of scarlet and tomato red, to the richness and depth of ruby, carmine, and burgundy.
The temperature of a red matters enormously. Warm reds — those with orange in them — feel active, energetic, and friendly. Cool reds — those that lean toward blue or violet, like rose, cherry, and carmine — feel more intense, dramatic, and sophisticated. A burgundy feels like it belongs in a library or at a formal dinner. A tomato red belongs in a kitchen or a sports stadium.
How Red Is Used in Design
Red is one of the most strategically used colors in brand design precisely because it's impossible to ignore. Fast food companies use bright reds to stimulate appetite and urgency. Fire engine red and scarlet are used for emergency, danger, and stop signals because they trigger immediate attention. Deep reds like burgundy and ruby are common in wine, luxury goods, legal, and financial branding where gravitas and refinement are the goal.
Lighter shades like coral and terra cotta have had a major moment in lifestyle, fashion, and interior design. They carry warmth and approachability without the intensity of a true red — easier to live with over extended time. In UI design, reds of all shades are the standard choice for error states, destructive actions, and required field validation.
Red in Culture and History
Red may be the most culturally significant color in the world. It appears in the oldest known cave paintings and was the first color, after black and white, for which every human language developed a distinct word. Across ancient civilizations — Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine — red dyes were among the most valuable traded commodities because they were so difficult to produce and so quickly faded.
In Chinese culture, red is the color of luck, prosperity, and celebration; it dominates traditional wedding attire and New Year decorations. In the West, red signals passion, danger, and urgency. In ancient Rome, the right to wear the most vivid red was reserved for emperors and generals. Crimson and scarlet appear throughout medieval European heraldry as symbols of power and blood lineage. Today, red remains one of the most common colors in national flags worldwide.
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