RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western cultures, carmine often symbolizes passion and power, while in certain indigenous cultures of South America, it holds sacred significance, representing life and fertility. The contrasts in interpretation highlight its dual role as both a vibrant and deeply meaningful color.
The word 'carmine' traces back to the Latin 'carminium', referring to the pigment made from cochineal. This dye became prominent in the late 16th century, particularly in Europe, when it was introduced by Spanish colonizers, making it a luxury item in the textile trade.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Carmine. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 33 Reds →Nine steps of Carmine by lightness — from #4E000C (darkest) to #C87A87 (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Carmine at 170° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Carmine.
Brands and institutions known for using Carmine.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Carmine anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on light backgrounds; fails on dark.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: #960018; color-mix(in srgb, #960018 70%, white) 350°, 100%, 59% 0, 100, 84, 41 9830424 #990000 How Carmine appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.