Light Red Color / Colour Code #C18B8B
This page shows the hex color code for light red (#C18B8B). The colour is a red tone with 30% saturation and 65% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #C18B8B against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#C18B8B 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 #C18B8B
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 0 and saturation at 30%. 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 #C18B8B
Lightness variations at hue 0 and 30% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #C18B8B
Design Use Cases for #C18B8B
Balanced UI Color
At 30% saturation, #C18B8B 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 65% lightness, #C18B8B 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
#C18B8B 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 #C18B8B (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, #c18b8b, #8bc1c1);
CSS Code for #C18B8B
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #C18B8B based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #C18B8B across image editing and color design tools.
About Light Red (#C18B8B)
#C18B8B is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 193 red, 139 green, and 139 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 0 degrees with 30% saturation and 65% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #C18B8B is 155/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 28% magenta, 28% yellow, and 24% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #C18B8B against white is 2.86:1 and against black is 7.33:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 7.33:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #8BC1C1 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #C18B8B. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #C18BA6 and #C1A68B, 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 #C18B8B
- 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 #C18B8B?
- #C18B8B is Light Red, a red color (colour) with RGB(193, 139, 139), HSL(0, 30%, 65%), and CMYK(0%, 28%, 28%, 24%). Its perceived brightness is 155/255.
- Is #C18B8B accessible for text?
- Against white, #C18B8B has a contrast ratio of 2.86:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 7.33:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #C18B8B?
- The complementary colour is #8BC1C1 (hue 180). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #C18BA6 and #C1A68B. The triadic palette adds #8BC18B and #8B8BC1 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #C18B8B in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #c18b8b; or rgb(193, 139, 139); or hsl(0, 30%, 65%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 0 30% 65%; 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.