Color #9A0000 Color / Colour Code #9A0000
This page shows the hex color code for color #9a0000 (#9A0000). The colour is a red tone with 100% saturation and 30% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #9A0000 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#9A0000 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 330, 0, and 30 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 0, 120, and 240 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #9A0000
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 0 and saturation at 100%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 0 to 45 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 0 with its complement at 180 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 #9A0000
Lightness variations at hue 0 and 100% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #9A0000
Design Use Cases for #9A0000
High-Impact Accent
With 100% saturation, #9A0000 is highly vivid. Reserve this for elements that need maximum attention: primary action buttons, notification badges, error states, or promotional banners. Use sparingly alongside neutral tones to avoid visual fatigue.
Primary Interface Color
At 30% lightness, #9A0000 is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Urgency & Energy Signaling
#9A0000 falls in the red spectrum (hue 0). 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 #9A0000 (hue 0) to its complement at hue 180. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 30. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #9a0000, #009999);
CSS Code for #9A0000
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #9A0000 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #9A0000 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #9A0000 (#9A0000)
#9A0000 is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 154 red, 0 green, and 0 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 154.0:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 0 degrees with 100% saturation and 30% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #9A0000 is 46/255 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, 100% magenta, 100% yellow, and 40% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #9A0000 against white is 8.85:1 and against black is 2.37:1. 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 #009999 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #9A0000. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #99004D and #994C00, 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 #9A0000
- 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 #9A0000?
- #9A0000 is Color #9A0000, a red color (colour) with RGB(154, 0, 0), HSL(0, 100%, 30%), and CMYK(0%, 100%, 100%, 40%). Its perceived brightness is 46/255.
- Is #9A0000 accessible for text?
- Against white, #9A0000 has a contrast ratio of 8.85:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.37:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #9A0000?
- The complementary colour is #009999 (hue 180). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #99004D and #994C00. The triadic palette adds #009900 and #000099 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #9A0000 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #9a0000; or rgb(154, 0, 0); or hsl(0, 100%, 30%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 0 100% 30%; 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.