Cardinal Red
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Cardinal Red is a dim, unsaturated pink with a moody, serious weight. Because it sits on the darker end of the spectrum, it works effectively as a grounding accent rather than a dominant background. Pair it with soft creams or warm grays to maintain readability. The hex code for this shade is #9b365e, which holds enough contrast to support white text for accessible small-scale type.
Questions about Cardinal Red
What is the hex code for Cardinal Red?
Cardinal Red is #9b365e. In RGB that is rgb(155, 54, 94), in HSL hsl(336, 48%, 41%) and in CMYK 0%, 65%, 39%, 39%.
How can I effectively use #9b365e in a color palette?
Use #9b365e as a primary anchor to create a balanced, moody aesthetic by pairing it with neutral bases like cream or soft warm gray. Because it carries a significant, serious weight, it functions best when contrasted against lighter tones rather than competing with other saturated colors.
Is Cardinal Red readable on white or black?
Cardinal Red has a 6.81:1 contrast ratio on white and 3.08:1 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 works only for large text (24px, or 18.5px bold). Try other pairs in the contrast checker.