RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
Crimson symbolizes passion, power, and determination. In many cultures it represents love in its most intense form — not the gentle pink of romance, but the burning conviction of deep devotion. It also carries connotations of courage and sacrifice.
The word 'crimson' comes from the Old Spanish 'cremesín', derived from Arabic 'qirmizī', referring to the kermes insect. For centuries, crimson dyes were among the most expensive pigments in the world, reserved for royalty and the church.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Crimson. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 33 Reds →Nine steps of Crimson by lightness — from #720A1F (darkest) to #ED859A (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Crimson at 168° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Crimson.
Brands and institutions known for using Crimson.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Crimson 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: crimson; color-mix(in srgb, crimson 70%, white) 348°, 91%, 86% 0, 91, 73, 14 14423100 #CC0033 How Crimson appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.