#9C0000 Hex Color
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Dark and highly saturated, #9c0000 is a warm red with a serious, forceful edge. Its low lightness creates depth and urgency, supporting caution labels, sports branding, luxury packaging, and dramatic interfaces. Use this hex code as a strong accent or dark base with white text, which reaches about 8.7:1 contrast for clear body copy.
Questions about #9c0000
What is #9c0000 in RGB, HSL and CMYK?
In RGB, #9c0000 is rgb(156, 0, 0), in HSL hsl(0, 100%, 31%) and in CMYK 0%, 100%, 100%, 39%.
What colors pair well with #9c0000?
The strongest pairings for #9c0000 are white, cream, charcoal, and muted gold, because these quieter tones balance its saturated warmth and keep layouts from feeling visually heavy, especially in interfaces, packaging, and editorial layouts. Use charcoal for a polished dark neutral, or add navy sparingly when a more formal palette is needed.
Is #9c0000 a warm or cool red?
#9c0000 reads as a warm red because it has a pure red base with no green or blue component, giving the shade a forceful, urgent character instead of the cooler, purplish feel found in blue-leaning reds.
Where should designers use #9c0000?
Use #9c0000 as a focused accent, dark base, or call-to-action color when you want urgency, authority, or dramatic contrast in interfaces, packaging, and sports-focused graphics with a clear visual hierarchy. Pair it with generous neutral space so its saturation remains an intentional focal point.
Is #9c0000 readable on white or black?
#9c0000 has a 8.70:1 contrast ratio on white and 2.41:1 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.