Color #A42E4E Color / Colour Code #A42E4E
This page shows the hex color code for color #a42e4e (#A42E4E). The colour is a pink tone with 56% saturation and 41% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #A42E4E against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#A42E4E paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 314, 344, and 14 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 344, 104, and 224 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #A42E4E
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 344 and saturation at 56%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 344 to 29 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 344 with its complement at 164 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 #A42E4E
Lightness variations at hue 344 and 56% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #A42E4E
Design Use Cases for #A42E4E
Balanced UI Color
At 56% saturation, #A42E4E strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Primary Interface Color
At 41% lightness, #A42E4E 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.
Playfulness & Compassion
#A42E4E is in the pink range (hue 344). Pink ranges from energetic to gentle depending on saturation and lightness. Use it for beauty and cosmetics branding, social app interfaces, Valentine's themes, and youth-oriented design. Desaturated pinks work well as soft background tints.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #A42E4E (hue 344) to its complement at hue 164. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 14. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #a42e4e, #2ea384);
CSS Code for #A42E4E
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #A42E4E based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #A42E4E across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #A42E4E (#A42E4E)
#A42E4E is a pink color (colour) with RGB channel values of 164 red, 46 green, and 78 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.6:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 344 degrees with 56% saturation and 41% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #A42E4E is 85/255 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, 72% magenta, 52% yellow, and 36% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #A42E4E against white is 6.82:1 and against black is 3.08:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 29% lightness.
The complementary colour #2EA384 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #A42E4E. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #A32E88 and #A3492E, 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 #A42E4E
- 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 #A42E4E?
- #A42E4E is Color #A42E4E, a pink color (colour) with RGB(164, 46, 78), HSL(344, 56%, 41%), and CMYK(0%, 72%, 52%, 36%). Its perceived brightness is 85/255.
- Is #A42E4E accessible for text?
- Against white, #A42E4E has a contrast ratio of 6.82:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 3.08:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #A42E4E?
- The complementary colour is #2EA384 (hue 164). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #A32E88 and #A3492E. The triadic palette adds #4DA32E and #2E4DA3 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #A42E4E in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #a42e4e; or rgb(164, 46, 78); or hsl(344, 56%, 41%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 344 56% 41%; 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.