Using Carmine in design
HEX
#960018
RGB
150, 0, 24
HSL
350°, 100%, 29%
HSV
350°, 100%, 59%
Carmine is a deep red with a cool, velvety cast — less brown than wine, less black than dark red, with a stained-glass richness. #960018 suits wine labels, bar menus, gothic romance aesthetics, and editorial mastheads where you want gravity without losing clear redness.
Best for
SaaS dashboards, admin panels, and professional UI themes.
Accessibility
White text on carmine passes AAA at 9.09:1, so it is safe for dark backgrounds and section headers.
How does carmine compare to nearby colors?
What is the difference between carmine and cardinal?
Carmine (#960018) feels more signal-like on screen, while Cardinal (#C41E3A) pushes the family in the opposite direction. Carmine pushes the palette toward sharper emphasis, while Cardinal leaves more room for typography, photography, or adjacent accents. Use carmine when you want more pigment and immediate screen energy, and cardinal when the same family should feel calmer or more spreadable.
What color is carmine?
The name traces to carminic acid derived historically from cochineal insects, a major red dye for textiles, art, and food coloring. The pigment story is well documented even as modern industries often use synthetic alternatives.
What is the hex code for carmine?
| Format | Value |
|---|---|
| HEX | #960018 |
| RGB | rgb(150, 0, 24) |
| HSL | hsl(350°, 100%, 29%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(350°, 100%, 59%) |
| CMYK (approx.) | cmyk(0%, 100%, 84%, 41%) |
Convert Carmine to other color formats
Open the color converter with Carmine (#960018) prefilled to copy RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK, or OKLCH values.
Convert Carmine in the color converter →What does carmine mean in design?
Carmine is often associated with opulence, appetite, and old-master intensity. It tends to read cooler and more ink-like than brick or indian red, and more solemn than coral red. In layout, it pairs powerfully with cream, black, or metallic gold.
How do I use carmine in code?
| CSS (hex) | color: #960018; |
| CSS (rgb) | color: rgb(150, 0, 24); |
| CSS (hsl) | color: hsl(350, 100%, 29%); |
| RGB % | rgb(59%, 0%, 9%) |
| Tailwind | text-[#960018] |
| SwiftUI | Color(red: 0.588, green: 0.000, blue: 0.094) |
| UIKit | UIColor(red: 0.588, green: 0.000, blue: 0.094, alpha: 1.0) |
| Android | Color.rgb(150, 0, 24) |
| Compose | Color(0xFF960018) |
| Web Safe | #990000 |
Is carmine accessible?
| Combination | Ratio | AA | AA lg | AAA | AAA lg | UI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AaWhite text on this color | 9.09:1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AaBlack text on this color | 2.31:1 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| AaThis color as text on white | 9.09:1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AaThis color as text on black | 2.31:1 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
WCAG 2.1: AA normal ≥ 4.5:1, AA large text ≥ 3:1, AAA normal ≥ 7:1, AAA large ≥ 4.5:1, UI components ≥ 3:1.
How does carmine look with color blindness?
Simulated appearance for common types of color vision deficiency. Actual perception varies by individual.
What colors go with carmine
White helps carmine stay legible in charts, labels, and UI states where a muddier light neutral would blur the edges.
Because carmine already carries warmth, navy blue gives the pair a steadier backbone and keeps it closer to premium editorial work than to one-note seasonal color.
Cream takes the hard digital edge off carmine and makes the color feel more printed, paper-backed, and approachable.
What colors clash with carmine
Neon Green competes with carmine so aggressively that the palette never really settles into a clear primary-secondary relationship.
Magenta remaps carmine too aggressively, dragging it away from premium retail and sport and into a brighter, more performative palette.
Cyan redirects carmine toward a more technical, backlit interpretation, which is risky when the goal is warmth, polish, or print-minded editorial work.
With carmine, Pastel Pink often steers the system toward nursery or confectionery cues instead of the more grounded mood the source color supports.
How should I use carmine in design?
- •Try carmine as your primary dark value instead of black — it adds character and warmth while still providing strong contrast for readability.
- •Carmine leans warm, so cool counterparts like navy, teal, or slate create the cleanest contrast. For a softer, tonal look, stay within neighboring warm hues and let value differences do the work.
- •Vivid colors like carmine work best as punctuation in a layout: CTAs, key metrics, or a single hero element. Surrounding neutrals keep it from fatiguing the viewer.
What are good carmine palettes?
Design with carmine in Moda
Create a presentation or document using carmine as your accent color. Moda's AI applies your color palette automatically.
Create a design with carmine →What are the shades and tints of carmine?
Shades (darker)
Tints (lighter)
Tones (desaturated)
Hue variations
What are the color harmonies for carmine?
Harmonies are calculated from the base swatch. When a harmony matches a named color page, it links there; otherwise it appears here as a computed reference swatch.
Similar colors
Burgundy
Burgundy sits close to carmine in hue, but its red-hot cast changes the mood of the palette even when the contrast shift is small.
Dark Red
Dark Red is near enough to carmine to swap into the same palette, yet the undertone shift still decides whether the family reads warmer or cooler overall.
Maroon
Maroon sits close to carmine in hue, but its red-hot cast changes the mood of the palette even when the contrast shift is small.
Cardinal
Cardinal tracks close to carmine in hue, but the value shift changes where each one earns its place: cardinal is easier to use for backgrounds, tints, and softer supporting areas, while carmine holds onto accents, stronger hierarchy, and firmer structure.
Wine
Wine is nearly adjacent to carmine in hue; what separates them is intensity, with wine reading dustier and easier to extend across a layout.
Frequently asked questions
What is the hex code for carmine?
The hex code for carmine is #960018. In RGB, that's 150 red, 0 green, and 24 blue. The approximate CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 100% magenta, 84% yellow, and 41% key (black).
Is carmine a warm or cool color?
Carmine reads as warm. It feels most natural with creams, golds, rusts, and other warm accents, while cooler partners like navy or teal create sharper contrast.
Is carmine better as an accent or a full-palette color?
Carmine is usually best when it leads in short bursts rather than covering everything. It can headline a palette, but most layouts work better when the color handles accents, highlights, or one main hero role instead of every surface.
How should I use carmine in a design?
Carmine works well as a dark background with light text, or as a bold accent for headlines, callout bars, and key visuals. It adds weight and authority without the starkness of pure black.
Can I use carmine for text or backgrounds?
Carmine is strong enough for white text at 9.09:1 contrast, so it can handle dark panels, tags, and section headers without much trouble. As text on white, though, it is usually better reserved for larger headings or short accents than for long paragraphs.
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Keep exploring color resources
All color pages
Browse the full library of color references, pairings, and palettes.
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Brown colors
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Neutral colors
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Orange colors
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Last updated April 6, 2026
Color values are computed from the listed hex code using standard conversion formulas. RGB, HSL, and HSV are exact screen-ready conversions. CMYK is an approximate on-screen reference, not a press-ready print specification. Pairings, palettes, and use-case guidance are heuristic recommendations derived from color relationships, contrast behavior, and common presentation, document, and UI patterns.