Exploring the Color #521111

#521111 sits at 0° on the color wheel, placing it in the red family of the warm half of the spectrum. With 66% saturation and 19% lightness, it reads as a richly saturated, deep tone — a weighted, dramatic presence with deep undertones. Its RGB mix of 82, 17, 17 produces a 14.51:1 contrast ratio against white, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #521111 is a clear variant of CSS maroon — about 52 units away from #800000. Designers reach for red hues at this saturation when the brief calls for a conversational, mid-energy register, and at this lightness when they want weight, depth, and grounded contrast. On screen the warm cast tends to pair best with cool neutrals around 210°-230° to balance temperature.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades