Color #554142 Color / Colour Code #554142
This page shows the hex color code for color #554142 (#554142). The colour is a red tone with 13% saturation and 29% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #554142 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#554142 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 327, 357, and 27 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 357, 117, and 237 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #554142
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 357 and saturation at 13%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 357 to 42 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 357 with its complement at 177 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 #554142
Lightness variations at hue 357 and 13% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #554142
Design Use Cases for #554142
Muted Accent Color
With 13% saturation, #554142 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
#554142 at 29% 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
#554142 falls in the red spectrum (hue 357). 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 #554142 (hue 357) to its complement at hue 177. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 27. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #554142, #405453);
CSS Code for #554142
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #554142 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #554142 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #554142 (#554142)
#554142 is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 85 red, 65 green, and 66 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 357 degrees with 13% saturation and 29% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #554142 is 71/255 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, 24% magenta, 22% yellow, and 67% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #554142 against white is 9.45:1 and against black is 2.22:1. 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 #405453 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #554142. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #54404B and #544940, 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 #554142
- 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 #554142?
- #554142 is Color #554142, a red color (colour) with RGB(85, 65, 66), HSL(357, 13%, 29%), and CMYK(0%, 24%, 22%, 67%). Its perceived brightness is 71/255.
- Is #554142 accessible for text?
- Against white, #554142 has a contrast ratio of 9.45:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.22:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #554142?
- The complementary colour is #405453 (hue 177). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #54404B and #544940. The triadic palette adds #415440 and #404154 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #554142 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #554142; or rgb(85, 65, 66); or hsl(357, 13%, 29%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 357 13% 29%; 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.