#221515 Hex Color
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This near-black shade carries heavy red undertones, landing somewhere between an oxidized iron and dried blood. It works best as a moody, atmospheric background rather than for fine text, though white copy remains perfectly legible against it. Because #221515 possesses such low saturation, pair it with soft metallics or cream tones to keep your design from feeling trapped in the shadows.
Questions about #221515
What is #221515 in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #221515 is rgb(34, 21, 21), in HSL hsl(0, 24%, 11%) and in CMYK 0%, 38%, 38%, 87%. Browse more shades of black with names and hex codes.
What colors pair best with #221515?
Because #221515 is so dark and saturated with red, it pairs best with lighter, warmer neutrals like cream or soft champagne metallics. Avoid harsh pure whites if you want a softer, more sophisticated look, though standard white text remains perfectly legible.
Is #221515 suitable for body text?
It is generally not recommended to use #221515 for fine body text because its extremely low luminosity can cause eye strain. It works much better as an atmospheric background color where you can layer light-colored typography or iconography on top for impact.
Is #221515 readable on white or black?
#221515 has a 17.70:1 contrast ratio on white and 1.18:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works for body text and on black it is too faint for text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.