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#BB281B Color

#BB281B is rgb(187, 40, 27) in RGB, hsl(5, 75%, 42%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 79%, 86%, 27%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Tomato Sauce (#B21807), clearly related but distinguishable side by side at ΔE 6.21. White text is the more readable choice on this background.

#BB281B
HEX#BB281B
RGBrgb(187, 40, 27)
HSLhsl(5, 75%, 42%)
HSVhsv(5, 86%, 73%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 79%, 86%, 27%)
OKLCHoklch(51.7% 0.185 29.8)
LABlab(42.22% 57.52 45.76)
LCHlch(42.22% 73.50 38.51)

What #BB281B Is Called

Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #BB281B, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.

Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every red in the library.

#BB281B Channel Values

How #BB281B breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.

ModelChannelsNotes
RGBR 187 · G 40 · B 278-bit channels as sent to the display
HSLH 5° · S 75% · L 42%Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSVH 5° · S 86% · V 73%Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYKC 0% · M 79% · Y 86% · K 27%Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance6.12:1 vs white · 3.43:1 vs blackWCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #BB281B background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.

TextWhite text6.12:1AA normal AA large AAA normal
Fails AABlack text3.43:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #BB281B in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With #BB281B

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #BB281B; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.

Base
Complementary
Analogous
Analogous
Triadic
Triadic
Split comp.
Split comp.

Tints & Shades of #BB281B

Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.

Tints

Shades

Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #BB281B.

How #BB281B Looks with Color Vision Deficiency

Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.

Typical#BB281B
Protanopia#5A5A17
Protanomaly#8B4B19
Deuteranopia#757500
Deuteranomaly#965F0A
Tritanopia#BB2727
Tritanomaly#BB2722
Achromatopsia#626262

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #BB281B in Code

Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.

CSS custom property--color-bb281b: #BB281B;
CSS backgroundbackground-color: #BB281B;
Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-bb281b': '#BB281B' }
SwiftUIColor(red: 0.733, green: 0.157, blue: 0.106)
Android XML<color name="color_bb281b">#BB281B</color>
SVG fillfill="#BB281B"

More Red Colors

#BB281B sits in the red family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

#BB281B Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #BB281B?

#BB281B is a mid-tone red — rgb(187, 40, 27) in RGB and hsl(5, 75%, 42%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Tomato Sauce (#B21807), which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side at a CIE76 distance of 6.21.

What is the RGB value of #BB281B?

#BB281B is rgb(187, 40, 27) — red 187, green 40, and blue 27 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #BB281B?

#BB281B converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 79%, 86%, 27%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #BB281B be black or white?

White text is the more readable choice. #BB281B scores 6.12:1 against white and 3.43:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #BB281B as a CSS color keyword?

No. #BB281B is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is firebrick (#B22222) at a CIE76 distance of 7.06, which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side.

Open #BB281B in a Tool

Keep exploring: every red in the color library, the guide to shades of red, or the full color library.