Color #CA320C Color / Colour Code #CA320C
This page shows the hex color code for color #ca320c (#CA320C). The colour is a red tone with 89% saturation and 42% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #CA320C against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#CA320C paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 342, 12, and 42 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 12, 132, and 252 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #CA320C
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 12 and saturation at 89%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 12 to 57 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 12 with its complement at 192 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 #CA320C
Lightness variations at hue 12 and 89% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #CA320C
Design Use Cases for #CA320C
High-Impact Accent
With 89% saturation, #CA320C 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 42% lightness, #CA320C 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
#CA320C falls in the red spectrum (hue 12). 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 #CA320C (hue 12) to its complement at hue 192. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 42. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ca320c, #0ca4ca);
CSS Code for #CA320C
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #CA320C based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #CA320C across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #CA320C (#CA320C)
#CA320C is a red color (colour) with RGB channel values of 202 red, 50 green, and 12 blue. The red channel is dominant by a ratio of 16.8:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 12 degrees with 89% saturation and 42% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #CA320C is 91/255 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, 75% magenta, 94% yellow, and 21% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #CA320C against white is 5.29:1 and against black is 3.97:1. 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 #0CA4CA creates maximum visual tension when paired with #CA320C. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #CA0C45 and #CA910C, 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 #CA320C
- 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 #CA320C?
- #CA320C is Color #CA320C, a red color (colour) with RGB(202, 50, 12), HSL(12, 89%, 42%), and CMYK(0%, 75%, 94%, 21%). Its perceived brightness is 91/255.
- Is #CA320C accessible for text?
- Against white, #CA320C has a contrast ratio of 5.29:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 3.97:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #CA320C?
- The complementary colour is #0CA4CA (hue 192). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #CA0C45 and #CA910C. The triadic palette adds #0CCA32 and #320CCA for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #CA320C in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #ca320c; or rgb(202, 50, 12); or hsl(12, 89%, 42%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 12 89% 42%; 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.