Maroon
A commanding shade of deep red
Maroon is a deep, intense shade with strong red undertones. This dark, authoritative tone commands attention, making it effective for formal branding or elegant print materials. The hex code for this color is #800000. Because of its extreme darkness, it performs best as a supporting accent or bold display font rather than a large background area, where it can easily appear heavy.
About Maroon
Beet juice dried into an old linen napkin
What does maroon mean?
Maroon often stands for richness and maturity, and people commonly link it with wine, leather, and late autumn. Its very low lightness and full saturation make it feel heavy and enclosed, like a room lit by one lamp.
Where you see maroon
- brick
- red wine
- kidney beans
- leather armchairs
- dried cranberries
- beet slices
What it works for
Use it for wine labels, leather goods, and accent walls where warmth matters more than brightness.
What colors go with maroon?
Dusty Rose #b56f76The pale pink lifts maroon's heaviness while staying inside the same warm family.Cream #fffdd0Cream gives maroon's darkness a bright edge to sit against.Olive #808000The muted green balances maroon's depth without flattening it.Brass #b5a642Brass shares maroon's warmth but adds shine the flat red lacks.Slate Blue #6a5acdThe cool gray blue offsets maroon's warmth and cools the whole palette.
Questions about Maroon
What is the hex code for Maroon?
Maroon is #800000. In RGB that is rgb(128, 0, 0), in HSL hsl(0, 100%, 25%) and in CMYK 0%, 100%, 100%, 50%.
How can I use #800000 effectively in web design?
Because #800000 is extremely dark, use it sparingly as an accent color for call-to-action buttons, headers, or borders rather than large backgrounds. It pairs beautifully with crisp white or cream tones to maintain readability and impact.
Is Maroon readable on white or black?
Maroon has a 10.94:1 contrast ratio on white and 1.91:1 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.