PINKS

Merlot

#51323B

RGB 81, 50, 59 · HSL 343°, 24%, 26% · CMYK 0, 38, 27, 68

Merlot is #51323B in HEX — rgb(81, 50, 59), hsl(343°, 24%, 26%), cmyk(0%, 38%, 27%, 68%).

Merlot pulls into the deep end of the pinks spectrum — HSL 343°, 24%, 26%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on bedrooms, dressing rooms, soft fabrics — for romantic, intimate spaces. Reads best alongside cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta, brass.

Color Codes

HEX#51323B

RGB81, 50, 59

HSL343°, 24%, 26%

HSV343°, 38%, 32%

CMYK0, 38, 27, 68

Decimal5321275

CSS RGBrgb(81, 50, 59)

CSS HSLhsl(343, 24%, 26%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Sherwin-Williams

Merlot SW2704

Exact match

Behr

Chicory Root BXC-21

ΔE 2.6 · #4A2F37

Vista Paint

Plumbago K-1233

ΔE 3.2 · #593843

Valspar

Ancient Burgundy 1011-6

ΔE 3.2 · #563940

Dulux

Blackcurrant Conserve S48B9

ΔE 3.5 · #52383E

Farrow & Ball

Brinjal 222

ΔE 4.6 · #5D3B42

Benjamin Moore

Dark 2073-10

ΔE 4.8 · #4C3641

Kilz

Bookmarker TB-99

ΔE 4.9 · #563135

Hallman-Lindsay

Concord Grape historic-concord-grape

ΔE 5.1 · #523A46

PPG

Gooseberry 1048-7

ΔE 6.4 · #604046

Kobra

Red 17

ΔE 7.3 · #583F40

IKEA

IKEA160 160

ΔE 8.5 · #4D3E45

Dunn-Edwards

Mulberry DEA194

ΔE 8.5 · #593C50

RAL

Chocolate Brown 8017

ΔE 9.7 · #45322E

Dutch Boy

Dark Chocolate D-6782

ΔE 11.8 · #392A27

Colorhouse

Create .06 Create-06

ΔE 13.6 · #5E3D5A

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

4/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureWarm MasstonePink UndertoneRed

Reads as a warm pink with a red undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.

Color Theory

Complementary

#51323B

#325249

Analogous

#52324B

#51323B

#523932

Triadic

#51323B

#3B5232

#323B52

Split-Complementary

#51323B

#325239

#324B52

Tetradic

#51323B

#4B5232

#325249

#393252

Monochromatic

#100A0B

#231519

#51323B

#824F5E

#AA7483

Rectangle

#51323B

#524932

#325249

#323B52

Compound

#51323B

#523932

#325249

#324B52

Variations

Lighter

#814F5D

#A57784

#C8B2B8

Darker

#42282F

#2E1B20

#1B0F13

Saturation

#473E40

#52323B

#6B1930

Interior Use

Best Rooms

bedrooms, dressing rooms, powder rooms

Best Uses

main walls, ceilings, soft fabrics, large surfaces

Pairs With

cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta, brass

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

11.23:1

AAA

vs Black

1.87:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#51323B

#403F3B

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#51323B

#39393A

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#51323B

#503435

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Soft · Romantic

Merlot strikes the line between warm-neutral and statement — light enough for primary walls in soft-light rooms, expressive enough to give a bedroom or dressing room real character. Reads expensive next to cream, walnut, and brass.

SymbolismTenderness, warmth, optimism

PersonalityGentle, intimate, optimistic

romancesoftnesswarmthbedroomintimateblush

How it looks under different light

#7C5247

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#51323B

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#69576C

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EBEAEA

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F8F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#2A463E

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Regal Select Interior

Recommended Finishes

Eggshell (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Matte (ceiling)

Eggshell hides imperfections on main walls while keeping the color rich; pearl on trim adds subtle sheen and easier cleaning; flat matte on ceilings prevents glare.

Best Surfaces

Primary walls · Cabinetry · Doors · Mouldings

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Standard primer is adequate.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #51323B;

CSS — background

background-color: #51323B;

CSS Variable

--color-merlot: #51323B;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'merlot': '#51323B' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#51323B] text-[#51323B]

SCSS

$merlot: #51323B;

Similar Colors

Dark Purple

#4B3540 · ΔE 4.8

Jester

#5A3646 · ΔE 5.3

Caponata

#453133 · ΔE 6.8

Raphael

#583835 · ΔE 8.1

Bewitched

#582F2F · ΔE 8.7

Black Raspberry

#4D3D4B · ΔE 8.9

New Pilgrim Red

#674142 · ΔE 9.5

Velvet Cloak

#382930 · ΔE 9.7

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #51323B?

#51323B is Merlot, a deep pink with a warm undertone.

Is #51323B warm or cool?

Merlot reads warm, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Merlot?

Merlot works well in bedrooms, dressing rooms, powder rooms. Designers typically use it for main walls, ceilings, soft fabrics, large surfaces.

What colors pair well with Merlot?

Merlot pairs naturally with cream walls, walnut furniture, terracotta, brass. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Merlot?

You can download Merlot on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Merlot?

The hex code is #51323B. In RGB it's 81, 50, 59, and in HSL it's 343°, 24%, 26%.

← All colors