Named color

Merlot

Merlot is a dark pink color with HEX #541E2E. According to Colors Encyclopedia, it has RGB 84, 30, 46, HSL 342, 47%, 22%, warm temperature, and is useful for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design.

#541E2E pink warm dark

HEX #541E2E

RGB rgb(84, 30, 46)

HSL hsl(342 47% 22%)

CMYK cmyk(0, 64, 45, 67)

Luminance 0.0301

Contrast Black 1.6:1White 13.11:1

CSS Utilities

--color-merlot: #541E2E;
.bg-merlot { background-color: #541E2E; }
.text-merlot { color: #541E2E; }

Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Luminance0.0301

Black text1.6:1AA Fail

White text13.11:1AA Pass

hexCanonical HEX value

rgbRed, green, blue channels

hslHue, saturation, lightness

cmykApproximate print conversion

wcagAA and AAA contrast options

harmoniesMathematical harmony sets

variantsGenerated tone variants

nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors

Structured sections

Color systems

{
  "hex": "#541E2E",
  "rgb": [
    84,
    30,
    46
  ],
  "hsl": [
    342,
    47,
    22
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    64,
    45,
    67
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0301,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.6,
    "white": 13.11
  }
}

WCAG

{
  "AA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ]
}

Harmonies

{
  "complementary": "#1E5243",
  "analogous": [
    "#521E48",
    "#52281E"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#2E521E",
    "#1E2E52"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#48521E",
    "#1E5243",
    "#281E52"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#1E5228",
    "#1E4852"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#963653",
    "#541E2E",
    "#0F0508"
  ]
}

Variants

{
  "light": "#963653",
  "dark": "#0F0508",
  "saturated": "#5F1129",
  "desaturated": "#462A32",
  "pastel": "#9E5169",
  "neon": "#99002E"
}

Pairings

{
  "best": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#1E5243",
    "#521E48",
    "#52281E"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#462A32",
    "#963653"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#FFFFFF"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#963653",
    "#462A32"
  ]
}

Knowledge graph

{
  "nearestColors": [
    "garnet-red",
    "pine-bark",
    "espresso",
    "bark",
    "peat"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "merlot"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "merlot-vs-garnet-red",
    "merlot-vs-pine-bark",
    "tyrian-purple-vs-merlot"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/pink",
    "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/merlot",
    "/wcag/merlot",
    "/css/colors/merlot",
    "/hex/541e2e"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/pink",
      "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
      "/colors/by-tone/dark"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/merlot"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/garnet-red",
      "/colors/pine-bark",
      "/colors/espresso",
      "/colors/bark",
      "/colors/peat",
      "/compare/merlot-vs-garnet-red",
      "/compare/merlot-vs-pine-bark",
      "/compare/tyrian-purple-vs-merlot",
      "/harmonies/merlot",
      "/wcag/merlot",
      "/css/colors/merlot",
      "/hex/541e2e"
    ]
  }
}

Full JSON dataset

{
  "slug": "merlot",
  "name": "Merlot",
  "hex": "#541E2E",
  "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": "pink",
  "temperature": "warm",
  "tone": [
    "dark"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "pink",
    "warm",
    "dark",
    "branding-accents",
    "editorial-palettes",
    "product-design",
    "energy",
    "intensity",
    "attention"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    84,
    30,
    46
  ],
  "hsl": [
    342,
    47,
    22
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    64,
    45,
    67
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0301,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.6,
    "white": 13.11
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#1E5243",
    "analogous": [
      "#521E48",
      "#52281E"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#2E521E",
      "#1E2E52"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#48521E",
      "#1E5243",
      "#281E52"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#1E5228",
      "#1E4852"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#963653",
      "#541E2E",
      "#0F0508"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#963653",
    "dark": "#0F0508",
    "saturated": "#5F1129",
    "desaturated": "#462A32",
    "pastel": "#9E5169",
    "neon": "#99002E"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-merlot: #541E2E;",
    "utility": ".bg-merlot { background-color: #541E2E; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-merlot { color: #541E2E; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "garnet-red",
    "pine-bark",
    "espresso",
    "bark",
    "peat"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "merlot"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "merlot-vs-garnet-red",
    "merlot-vs-pine-bark",
    "tyrian-purple-vs-merlot"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/pink",
    "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/merlot",
    "/wcag/merlot",
    "/css/colors/merlot",
    "/hex/541e2e"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/pink",
      "/colors/by-temperature/warm",
      "/colors/by-tone/dark"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/merlot"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/garnet-red",
      "/colors/pine-bark",
      "/colors/espresso",
      "/colors/bark",
      "/colors/peat",
      "/compare/merlot-vs-garnet-red",
      "/compare/merlot-vs-pine-bark",
      "/compare/tyrian-purple-vs-merlot",
      "/harmonies/merlot",
      "/wcag/merlot",
      "/css/colors/merlot",
      "/hex/541e2e"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#1E5243",
      "#521E48",
      "#52281E"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#462A32",
      "#963653"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#FFFFFF"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#963653",
      "#462A32"
    ]
  }
}

Color meaning and use

About Merlot Color

Merlot sits in the pink family with warm temperature and dark visual character. Merlot is a commonly used color name in design references, palettes, and editorial color systems.

Its common associations include energy, intensity, and attention, which makes it relevant for fashion and food. In design work, Merlot is most useful for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, especially when paired with white text for stronger contrast.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Merlot against black and white text.

Black text1.6:1AA Fail

White text13.11:1AA Pass

AA text options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5

AAA text options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5

Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Similar Colors

Garnet Red#6E1F26

Pine Bark#4A3728

Espresso#4B3621

Bark#5B3A29

Peat#3B2F2F

Color Harmonies

#1E5243#1E5243

#521E48#521E48

#52281E#52281E

#2E521E#2E521E

#1E2E52#1E2E52

Open full Merlot harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#963653#963653

#0F0508#0F0508

#5F1129#5F1129

#462A32#462A32

#9E5169#9E5169

#99002E#99002E

Pairings

White#FFFFFF

#1E5243#1E5243

#521E48#521E48

#52281E#52281E

Matte Black#1A1A1A

White Smoke#F5F5F5

Merlot

CSS Utilities

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

About Merlot Color

Related Color Guides

WCAG Accessibility

Similar Colors

Color Harmonies

Variants

Pairings