Color #2E201E Color / Colour Code #2E201E
This page shows the hex color code for color #2e201e (#2E201E). The colour is a red tone with 21% saturation and 15% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #2E201E against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#2E201E paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 338, 8, and 38 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 8, 128, and 248 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #2E201E
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 8 and saturation at 21%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 8 to 53 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 8 with its complement at 188 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #2E201E
Lightness variations at hue 8 and 21% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #2E201E
Design Use Cases for #2E201E
Muted Accent Color
With 21% saturation, #2E201E has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Deep Accent & Text Color
#2E201E at 15% lightness is dark enough for readable body text on light backgrounds while retaining its red character. Use for headings, emphasized text, or deep accent borders. It provides contrast without the harshness of pure black.
Urgency & Energy Signaling
#2E201E falls in the red spectrum (hue 8). Red triggers urgency and excitement, making it effective for sale badges, countdown timers, error messages, and "limited time" labels. In data visualization, use it to flag negative values or critical thresholds.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #2E201E (hue 8) to its complement at hue 188. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 38. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #2e201e, #1e2c2e);
CSS Code for #2E201E
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #2E201E based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #2E201E across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #2E201E (#2E201E)
#2E201E is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 46 red, 32 green, and 30 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 8 degrees with 21% saturation and 15% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #2E201E is 36/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 30% magenta, 35% yellow, and 82% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #2E201E against white is 15.65:1 and against black is 1.34:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #1E2C2E creates maximum visual tension when paired with #2E201E. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #2E1E24 and #2E281E, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #2E201E
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #2E201E?
- #2E201E is Color #2E201E, a red color (colour) with RGB(46, 32, 30), HSL(8, 21%, 15%), and CMYK(0%, 30%, 35%, 82%). Its perceived brightness is 36/255.
- Is #2E201E accessible for text?
- Against white, #2E201E has a contrast ratio of 15.65:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.34:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #2E201E?
- The complementary colour is #1E2C2E (hue 188). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #2E1E24 and #2E281E. The triadic palette adds #1E2E20 and #201E2E for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #2E201E in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #2e201e; or rgb(46, 32, 30); or hsl(8, 21%, 15%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 8 21% 15%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.