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Earthyreddeep

Cool Merlot Brush

#4b231a
Notes

Cool Merlot Brush (#4B231A) is a deep red with an earthy character. It leans grounded and natural, the kind of color that plays well with wood, clay, linen, and warm neutrals. Its HSL profile (11°, 49%, 20%) places it in the balanced band at a dark lightness. It works well as a headline, icon, or deep background in an otherwise light layout, pairing cleanly with cream, bone, and warm neutrals. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary cyan. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#4b231a
RGB
rgb(75, 35, 26)
HSL
hsl(11, 49%, 20%)
HWB
hwb(11 10% 71%)
OKLCH
oklch(30.9% 0.063 33.8)
HSV
hsv(11, 65%, 29%)
LAB
lab(19.11% 17.96 14.61)
LCH
lch(19.11% 23.15 39.14)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 53%, 65%, 71%)

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

Click any swatch to explore

Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#4b231a
Original
#2d2919
Protanopia
#373219
Deuteranopia
#521c21
Tritanopia
#2b2b2b
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon White
13.51:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon Black
1.55:1

Related Colors

Canvas