Red and White

Tonal Accent color combination with 4.00:1 contrast ratio

#FF0000

#FFFFFF

Color Values

Red

HEX #FF0000

RGB 255, 0, 0

HSL 0, 100%, 50%

White

HEX #FFFFFF

RGB 255, 255, 255

HSL 0, 0%, 100%

Harmony: Tonal Accent

One color is neutral and the other carries the chroma, which is a reliable formula for balanced design. The neutral gives the eye somewhere to rest while the chromatic color provides the focal point.

The hue angle between Red and White is 0 degrees (though one or both colors are achromatic, so hue angle is less relevant than lightness contrast). You can explore these relationships interactively in our Color Wheel Tool.

WCAG Contrast

4.00:1

Red background with White text

AA large text only

UI Preview

Red surface

Sample text on a red background demonstrates readability and visual hierarchy.

White surface

Sample text on a white background demonstrates readability and visual hierarchy.

Design Tokens

CSS Variables

:root {
  --color-a: #FF0000;
  --color-b: #FFFFFF;
  --color-a-rgb: 255, 0, 0;
  --color-b-rgb: 255, 255, 255;
}

JSON

{
  "name": "Red and White",
  "colors": [
    {
      "name": "Red",
      "hex": "#FF0000",
      "rgb": [
        255,
        0,
        0
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "White",
      "hex": "#FFFFFF",
      "rgb": [
        255,
        255,
        255
      ]
    }
  ],
  "harmony": "Tonal Accent",
  "contrastRatio": 4
}

Related Combinations

Explore These Colors

Red

White

Color Wheel Tool →Contrast Checker →Random Palette Generator →Color Mixer →Gradient Generator →

Frequently Asked Questions

Do red and white go together?

Yes. Red and White form a tonal accent color combination. One color is neutral and the other carries the chroma, which is a reliable formula for balanced design. The neutral gives the eye somewhere to rest while the chromatic color provides the focal point. The pairing has a WCAG contrast ratio of 4.00:1, which passes AA for large text but not for body text.

What is the contrast ratio between red and white?

The WCAG 2.1 contrast ratio between Red (#FF0000) and White (#FFFFFF) is 4.00:1. This passes AA for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold) but not for normal-sized body text.

How do I use red and white in design?

A safe starting point is the 60/30/10 rule: give one color about 60 percent of the surface area, the other about 30 percent, and reserve the remaining 10 percent for an accent or neutral. If one color is significantly darker, use it for text or structural elements and the lighter one for backgrounds. Test the result with our Contrast Checker if text is involved.

What are the hex and RGB values for red and white?

Red has the hex code #FF0000 and RGB values rgb(255, 0, 0). White has the hex code #FFFFFF and RGB values rgb(255, 255, 255). You can copy these directly into CSS or use the design tokens provided on this page.