Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind red-900: #82181A
In Tailwind CSS v4, red-900 is defined as --color-red-900: oklch(39.6% 0.141 25.723), which is #82181A in hex and rgb(130, 24, 26): a dark, moderately saturated red. In Tailwind v3, red-900 was #7F1D1D.
In OKLCH, red-900 has a lightness of 39.6%, chroma 0.141 and hue 25.7°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #82181A represents it without loss on any screen.
In v3, red-900 was #7F1D1D. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.8 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart; v4 is more saturated.
Tailwind red is the default choice for errors and destructive actions; the 600 and 700 shades are the usual picks for text and buttons on white.
Color codes for red-900
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-red-900 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(39.6% 0.141 25.723) |
| HEX | #82181A |
| RGB | rgb(130, 24, 26) |
| HSL | hsl(359, 69%, 30%) |
| HWB | hwb(359 9% 49%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(0%, 82%, 80%, 49%) |
| Decimal | 8,525,850 |
| Tailwind v3 hex | #7F1D1D |
| Utility classes | bg-red-900, text-red-900, border-red-900 |
Tailwind red scale
Contrast and accessibility
On red-900, white text has a contrast ratio of 10.02:1 and passes AAA at any text size; black text reaches 2.09:1.
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios (success criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6: AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1). APCA Lc is the lightness contrast from the APCA-W3 0.0.98G model proposed for WCAG 3; a higher absolute value is more readable, and Lc 75 is its suggested minimum for body text.
| Pair | Ratio | AA | AA large | AAA | AAA large | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on red-900 | 2.09:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 12.1 |
| White text on red-900 | 10.02:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −96.1 |
| Red-900 text on white | 10.02:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 91.8 |
| Red-900 text on black | 2.09:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | −10.5 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-red-900) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-red-900), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#882425 - 15%
#953b3c - 25%
#a15253 - 35%
#ae696a - 45%
#ba8081 - 55%
#c79798 - 65%
#d3aeaf - 75%
#e0c5c6 - 85%
#ecdcdd - 95%
#f9f3f4
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#7c1719 - 15%
#6f1416 - 25%
#621214 - 35%
#551011 - 45%
#480d0e - 55%
#3a0b0c - 65%
#2e0809 - 75%
#210607 - 85%
#140404 - 95%
#070101
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, red-900's complementary color is #00535D (close to darkslategray), its analogous colors are #7C1749 and #742F00, and its triadic partners are #005905 and #223E91. For text on top, white gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #00535d |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #7c1749#742f00 |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #005905#223e91 |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #005644#004d79 |
Computed in OKLCH: the hue is rotated by 180° (complementary), ±30° (analogous), ±120° (triadic) and 180° ±30° (split-complementary) while lightness and chroma stay fixed. Results that fall outside sRGB are brought back with the CSS Color 4 gamut mapping algorithm. Because this uses OKLCH, the values differ from tools that rotate hue in HSL, but every color keeps the same perceived lightness.
Warm or cool?
Tailwind red-900 is a warm color: its hue is 359° on the HSL wheel, in the red, orange and yellow range (0° to about 70°, plus reds above 330°) that is conventionally called warm.
Nearest named and Tailwind colors
Distance is ΔE OK, the Euclidean distance in OKLab multiplied by 100. Values under about 2 are hard to tell apart side by side.
Code snippets
<div class="bg-red-900 text-white">...</div>
<p class="text-red-900 border-red-900">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-red-900);
background-color: oklch(39.6% 0.141 25.723);
border-color: #82181a;
outline-color: rgb(130 24 26);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let red900 = Color(red: 0.510, green: 0.094, blue: 0.102)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Red900 = Color(0xFF82181A)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const red900 = Color(0xFF82181A);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="red_900">#82181A</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind red-900?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, red-900 is oklch(39.6% 0.141 25.723), which converts to #82181A (rgb(130, 24, 26)) in sRGB. In Tailwind v3 the same name was #7F1D1D.
- What is the difference between red-900 in Tailwind v3 and v4?
- v3 used the hex #7F1D1D; v4 redefined the palette in OKLCH as oklch(39.6% 0.141 25.723). In v3, red-900 was #7F1D1D. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.8 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart; v4 is more saturated.
- How do I use red-900 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-red-900). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on red-900?
- White text on red-900 has a contrast ratio of 10.02:1, which passes both AA and AAA under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 2.09:1 and fails AA even for large text. In APCA terms that is Lc −96.1 for white and Lc 12.1 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to red-900?
- The closest is darkred (#8B0000) at ΔE OK 2.5, followed by maroon and brown.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.