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Saturated Cardinal

#c42a34
Notes

Saturated Cardinal (#C42A34) is a true red with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (356°, 65%, 47%) places it in the balanced band at a mid lightness. It works across type, buttons, and borders, saturated enough to feel deliberate but balanced enough to not fight the rest of the palette. 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
#c42a34
RGB
rgb(196, 42, 52)
HSL
hsl(356, 65%, 47%)
HWB
hwb(356 16% 23%)
OKLCH
oklch(53.8% 0.189 23.4)
HSV
hsv(356, 79%, 77%)
LAB
lab(43.72% 59.57 33.27)
LCH
lch(43.72% 68.23 29.18)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 79%, 73%, 23%)

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

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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.

#c42a34
Original
#5a5233
Protanopia
#80732e
Deuteranopia
#d80030
Tritanopia
#4b4b4b
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).
AAon White
5.63:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AA Largeon Black
3.73:1

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Canvas