Colors EncyclopediaUse this color
Create with Carmine
Open a professional color tool with #960018 already applied. Each configuration stays canonical to the tool and can be adjusted or shared.
Generate palette & CSS variablesCreate 50–950 tokens and export CSS, SCSS, JSON, or Tailwind.Open configured tool →Open in Gradient StudioStart with Carmine and its complementary color.Open configured tool →Mix this colorBlend it with a complementary color and copy color-mix() CSS.Open configured tool →Check contrastOpen the strongest black or white background pairing.Open configured tool →Accessible combinationsReview AA and AAA text options, alternatives, warnings, and UI guidance.Open configured tool →Create glass surfaceUse this color as the tint for a translucent UI panel.Open configured tool →
CSS Utilities
--color-carmine: #960018;
.bg-carmine { background-color: #960018; }
.text-carmine { color: #960018; }Color history, meaning and use · Editorially reviewed
About Carmine Color
Carmine belongs to the long history of cochineal colorants derived from scale insects. Cochineal was used in the Americas before European colonization and became a major traded red after its introduction to Europe. Depending on preparation and dyeing conditions, it can produce colors from pink through saturated crimson.
That variability makes Carmine a useful deep-red category rather than a single inevitable formula. In interfaces it can signal urgency or emphasis, while editorial palettes often exploit its connection with textiles and historic color production. Accessibility still depends on the actual foreground and background pair, not on the prestige or intensity of the color name.
This page’s HEX is a modern digital reference and does not specify a cochineal dye, lake pigment, recipe, or biological source.
WCAG Accessibility
Contrast checks for Carmine against black and white text.
Black text2.31:1AA Fail
White text9.09:1AA Pass
Downloadable color reference infographic
Carmine Color Reference Infographic
Save a high-resolution infographic of Carmine, including its color values, coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.
Color Harmonies
Variants
Pairings
Machine-readable data
Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)
Perfect for CSS, design systems, automation, and AI ingestion.
Luminance0.0655
Black text2.31:1AA Fail
White text9.09:1AA Pass
hexCanonical HEX valuergbRed, green, blue channelshslHue, saturation, lightnesscmykApproximate print conversionwcagAA and AAA contrast optionsharmoniesMathematical harmony setsvariantsGenerated tone variantsnearestColorsKnowledge graph neighborsStructured sections
Color systems
{
"hex": "#960018",
"rgb": [
150,
0,
24
],
"hsl": [
350,
100,
29
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
84,
41
],
"luminance": 0.0655,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.31,
"white": 9.09
}
}WCAG
{
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
}Harmonies
{
"complementary": "#00947B",
"analogous": [
"#940063",
"#943100"
],
"triadic": [
"#199400",
"#001994"
],
"tetradic": [
"#639400",
"#00947B",
"#310094"
],
"splitComplementary": [
"#009431",
"#006394"
],
"monochromatic": [
"#F00028",
"#960018",
"#380009"
]
}Variants
{
"light": "#F00028",
"dark": "#380009",
"saturated": "#940019",
"desaturated": "#841023",
"pastel": "#ED2647",
"neon": "#BD001F"
}Pairings
{
"best": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#00947B",
"#940063",
"#943100"
],
"avoid": [
"#841023",
"#F00028"
],
"neutral": [
"#1A1A1A",
"#F5F5F5",
"#E8E8E4"
],
"highContrast": [
"#FFFFFF"
],
"lowContrast": [
"#F00028",
"#841023"
]
}Knowledge graph
{
"nearestColors": [
"cranberry",
"ruby-red",
"burgundy",
"crimson-red",
"dark-red"
],
"generatedPalettes": [
"carmine"
],
"generatedComparisons": [
"burgundy-vs-carmine",
"carmine-vs-cranberry",
"carmine-vs-ruby-red"
],
"relatedFamilies": [
"/colors/by-family/red",
"/colors/by-temperature/warm",
"/colors/by-tone/balanced"
],
"relatedTools": [
"/harmonies/carmine",
"/wcag/carmine",
"/css/colors/carmine",
"/hex/960018",
"/tools/css-gradient-generator",
"/tools/color-palette-generator",
"/tools/css-color-mixer",
"/tools/contrast-checker"
],
"semanticRelations": {
"broader": [
"/colors/by-family/red",
"/colors/by-temperature/warm",
"/colors/by-tone/balanced"
],
"narrower": [
"/palettes/carmine"
],
"related": [
"/colors/cranberry",
"/colors/ruby-red",
"/colors/burgundy",
"/colors/crimson-red",
"/colors/dark-red",
"/compare/burgundy-vs-carmine",
"/compare/carmine-vs-cranberry",
"/compare/carmine-vs-ruby-red",
"/harmonies/carmine",
"/wcag/carmine",
"/css/colors/carmine",
"/hex/960018",
"/tools/css-gradient-generator",
"/tools/color-palette-generator",
"/tools/css-color-mixer",
"/tools/contrast-checker"
]
}
}Full JSON dataset
{
"slug": "carmine",
"name": "Carmine",
"hex": "#960018",
"uses": [
"branding accents",
"editorial palettes",
"product design"
],
"psychology": {
"associations": [
"energy",
"intensity",
"attention"
],
"contexts": [
"fashion",
"food",
"sports",
"retail"
],
"avoidIn": [
"low-stimulation wellness interfaces"
]
},
"aliases": [],
"sourceType": "curated",
"confidence": "medium",
"reviewStatus": "manual",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/assets/colors.json",
"origin": {
"type": "common",
"notes": "Curated common color reference used in design and editorial color systems."
},
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
"tags": [
"red",
"warm",
"balanced",
"branding-accents",
"editorial-palettes",
"product-design",
"energy",
"intensity",
"attention"
],
"popularity": 80,
"rgb": [
150,
0,
24
],
"hsl": [
350,
100,
29
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
84,
41
],
"luminance": 0.0655,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.31,
"white": 9.09
},
"harmonies": {
"complementary": "#00947B",
"analogous": [
"#940063",
"#943100"
],
"triadic": [
"#199400",
"#001994"
],
"tetradic": [
"#639400",
"#00947B",
"#310094"
],
"splitComplementary": [
"#009431",
"#006394"
],
"monochromatic": [
"#F00028",
"#960018",
"#380009"
]
},
"variants": {
"light": "#F00028",
"dark": "#380009",
"saturated": "#940019",
"desaturated": "#841023",
"pastel": "#ED2647",
"neon": "#BD001F"
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"css": {
"variable": "--color-carmine: #960018;",
"utility": ".bg-carmine { background-color: #960018; }",
"textUtility": ".text-carmine { color: #960018; }"
},
"nearestColors": [
"cranberry",
"ruby-red",
"burgundy",
"crimson-red",
"dark-red"
],
"generatedPalettes": [
"carmine"
],
"generatedComparisons": [
"burgundy-vs-carmine",
"carmine-vs-cranberry",
"carmine-vs-ruby-red"
],
"relatedFamilies": [
"/colors/by-family/red",
"/colors/by-temperature/warm",
"/colors/by-tone/balanced"
],
"relatedTools": [
"/harmonies/carmine",
"/wcag/carmine",
"/css/colors/carmine",
"/hex/960018",
"/tools/css-gradient-generator",
"/tools/color-palette-generator",
"/tools/css-color-mixer",
"/tools/contrast-checker"
],
"semanticRelations": {
"broader": [
"/colors/by-family/red",
"/colors/by-temperature/warm",
"/colors/by-tone/balanced"
],
"narrower": [
"/palettes/carmine"
],
"related": [
"/colors/cranberry",
"/colors/ruby-red",
"/colors/burgundy",
"/colors/crimson-red",
"/colors/dark-red",
"/compare/burgundy-vs-carmine",
"/compare/carmine-vs-cranberry",
"/compare/carmine-vs-ruby-red",
"/harmonies/carmine",
"/wcag/carmine",
"/css/colors/carmine",
"/hex/960018",
"/tools/css-gradient-generator",
"/tools/color-palette-generator",
"/tools/css-color-mixer",
"/tools/contrast-checker"
]
},
"pairings": {
"best": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#00947B",
"#940063",
"#943100"
],
"avoid": [
"#841023",
"#F00028"
],
"neutral": [
"#1A1A1A",
"#F5F5F5",
"#E8E8E4"
],
"highContrast": [
"#FFFFFF"
],
"lowContrast": [
"#F00028",
"#841023"
]
}
}