REDS

Forbidden Red

#8A4647

RGB 138, 70, 71 · HSL 359°, 33%, 41% · CMYK 0, 49, 49, 46

Forbidden Red is #8A4647 in HEX — rgb(138, 70, 71), hsl(359°, 33%, 41%), cmyk(0%, 49%, 49%, 46%).

Forbidden Red pulls into the rich end of the reds spectrum — HSL 359°, 33%, 41%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on feature walls, dining rooms, hallways — anywhere you want energy. Reads best alongside cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim.

Color Codes

HEX#8A4647

RGB138, 70, 71

HSL359°, 33%, 41%

HSV359°, 49%, 54%

CMYK0, 49, 49, 46

Decimal9061959

CSS RGBrgb(138, 70, 71)

CSS HSLhsl(359, 33%, 41%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Behr

Forbidden Red PPU1-10

Exact match

Benjamin Moore

Pottery 2085-20

ΔE 2.9 · #864045

Farrow & Ball

Eating Room Red 43

ΔE 3.2 · #8F4E4D

PPG

Crazed Cranberry 13-12

ΔE 3.6 · #8F4347

Dunn-Edwards

Spiced Berry DEA149

ΔE 3.7 · #85443F

Vista Paint

Prado Red K-688

ΔE 4.1 · #7F3E42

Dulux

Ragin' Cajun S03F8

ΔE 4.2 · #8D4F4C

Valspar

Perennial Red 1010-4

ΔE 4.2 · #804045

Hallman-Lindsay

Shaker Red historic-shaker-red

ΔE 4.4 · #7F4340

Kilz

Cinnamon Apple LA140-02

ΔE 5.3 · #9A5153

Sherwin-Williams

Luxurious Red SW6314

ΔE 5.7 · #863A42

IKEA

IKEA102 102

ΔE 6.1 · #7E3738

Colorhouse

Wood .04 Wood-04

ΔE 13 · #67272A

Kobra

Red 16

ΔE 13.3 · #9A4039

RAL

Pearl Copper 8029

ΔE 13.6 · #763C28

Dutch Boy

Caramel Brown D-6783

ΔE 16.6 · #8D5033

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

10/100

Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Soaks up light and feels moody and intimate. Great for studies, dining rooms and accent walls; pair with ample lighting.

Undertone

TemperatureWarm MasstoneRed UndertonePink

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#8A4647

#468B8A

Analogous

#8B466A

#8A4647

#8B6746

Triadic

#8A4647

#478B46

#46478B

Split-Complementary

#8A4647

#468B67

#466A8B

Tetradic

#8A4647

#6A8B46

#468B8A

#67468B

Monochromatic

#251313

#582C2D

#8A4647

#B46A6B

#CD9D9D

Rectangle

#8A4647

#8B8A46

#468B8A

#46478B

Compound

#8A4647

#8B6746

#468B8A

#466A8B

Variations

Lighter

#AE5F60

#BE8B8C

#D7BEBF

Darker

#713738

#4E2525

#2E1515

Saturation

#735E5F

#8B4647

#AE2325

Interior Use

Best Rooms

dining rooms, hallways, feature walls

Best Uses

accent walls, doors, statement furniture

Pairs With

cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

6.89:1

vs Black

3.05:1

AA Large

Deuteranopia

#8A4647

#6A6445

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#8A4647

#565647

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#8A4647

#89484C

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Bold · Energetic

Forbidden Red carries the unmistakable charge of red — it raises pulse and appetite, draws the eye first in any room, and refuses to recede. Use it where you want presence: dining rooms that should feel social, hallways that need a focal point, front doors that announce arrival.

SymbolismPassion, urgency, vitality

PersonalityConfident, expressive, daring

energyappetitefocalsocialwarmthstatement

How it looks under different light

#A76150

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#8A4647

Daylight 5500K

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

#946675

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#ECE9E9

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.

#407271

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: #8A4647;

CSS — background

background-color: #8A4647;

CSS Variable

--color-forbidden-red: #8A4647;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'forbidden-red': '#8A4647' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#8A4647] text-[#8A4647]

SCSS

$forbidden-red: #8A4647;

Similar Colors

Warm Earth

#914D4E · ΔE 2.8

Pottery Red

#853F44 · ΔE 3.2

Maple Leaf Red

#914443 · ΔE 4.9

Hot Apple Spice

#8A453E · ΔE 5.1

St. George Red

#8F514C · ΔE 5.2

Boxcar Red

#8E5049 · ΔE 5.5

Redwood

#82423A · ΔE 5.8

Cinnabar

#944544 · ΔE 5.8

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 #8A4647?

#8A4647 is Forbidden Red, a mid-tone red with a warm undertone.

Is #8A4647 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Forbidden Red?

Forbidden Red works well in dining rooms, hallways, feature walls. Designers typically use it for accent walls, doors, statement furniture.

What colors pair well with Forbidden Red?

Forbidden Red pairs naturally with cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Forbidden Red?

You can download Forbidden Red 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 Forbidden Red?

The hex code is #8A4647. In RGB it's 138, 70, 71, and in HSL it's 359°, 33%, 41%.

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