Color #AD5656 Color / Colour Code #AD5656
This page shows the hex color code for color #ad5656 (#AD5656). The colour is a red tone with 35% saturation and 51% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #AD5656 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#AD5656 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 #AD5656
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 0 and saturation at 35%. 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 #AD5656
Lightness variations at hue 0 and 35% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #AD5656
Design Use Cases for #AD5656
Balanced UI Color
At 35% saturation, #AD5656 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.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 51% lightness, #AD5656 has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Urgency & Energy Signaling
#AD5656 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 #AD5656 (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, #ad5656, #56aeae);
CSS Code for #AD5656
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #AD5656 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #AD5656 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #AD5656 (#AD5656)
#AD5656 is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 173 red, 86 green, and 86 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 2.0:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 0 degrees with 35% saturation and 51% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #AD5656 is 112/255 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, 50% magenta, 50% yellow, and 32% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #AD5656 against white is 4.95:1 and against black is 4.24:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 36% lightness.
The complementary colour #56AEAE creates maximum visual tension when paired with #AD5656. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #AE5682 and #AE8256, 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 #AD5656
- 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 #AD5656?
- #AD5656 is Color #AD5656, a red color (colour) with RGB(173, 86, 86), HSL(0, 35%, 51%), and CMYK(0%, 50%, 50%, 32%). Its perceived brightness is 112/255.
- Is #AD5656 accessible for text?
- Against white, #AD5656 has a contrast ratio of 4.95:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.24:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #AD5656?
- The complementary colour is #56AEAE (hue 180). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #AE5682 and #AE8256. The triadic palette adds #56AE56 and #5656AE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #AD5656 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #ad5656; or rgb(173, 86, 86); or hsl(0, 35%, 51%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 0 35% 51%; 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.