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Maroon vs Dark Red: What's the Difference?

Maroon and Dark Red are near-identical red shades — they sit within a few degrees of hue, lightness, and saturation of each other. The difference is mostly in name and historical use. Maroon (#800000) is the CSS named dark red (RGB 128,0,0), while Dark Red (#8B0000) is a slightly lighter, slightly warmer dark red (RGB 139,0,0). Maroon is the web-safe half-red; dark red is marginally brighter and redder.

Maroon#800000
Dark Red#8B0000
#800000Blended: #860000#8B0000
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Maroon vs Dark Red: Key Differences at a Glance

Aspect Maroon Dark Red
Red channel128 — half-intensity139 — slightly brighter
Lightness25% — darker27% — marginally lighter
CSS statusOriginal HTML 3.2 colorAdded in CSS3 extended colors
FeelAcademic, heritage, sportsGeneric dark red, web-safe
Common useUniversity branding, sportsGeneric dark-red UI accents
ContrastHigher on white (slightly)Slightly lower on white

Can you use Maroon and Dark Red together?

Dark Red text on Maroon
Maroon text on Dark Red
Contrast Ratio:1.09:1Insufficient Contrast

How to Tell Maroon and Dark Red Apart

  • ●The visual difference is only ~11 units on the red channel — side-by-side, dark red looks just slightly brighter and pinker.
  • ●If you see a dark-red CSS color on the original 16-color palette, it's maroon; if it's from the 140-color extended set, it's likely 'darkred'.
  • ●In branding: 'maroon' is the named school/sports color (Harvard, Texas A&M); 'dark red' is rarely used as a formal brand name.
  • ●Hex tells all: #800000 = maroon, #8B0000 = darkred.

Origin of Maroon and Dark Red

Maroon

Maroon entered English in 1791 from French 'marron' (chestnut). It became a web color in HTML 3.2 (1996) as one of the original 16 named colors.

Dark Red

'Dark Red' was added to the CSS3 extended color keywords (140 named colors) to provide a slightly brighter dark-red alternative to maroon.

Maroon or Dark Red: Which to Use and Where

Four real design scenarios, with the recommended pick based on hue, saturation, and WCAG contrast.

◆Branding & logos
PickMaroon

Maroon is more saturated (100% HSL vs 100%) so it reads as bolder and more memorable at logo scale, while Dark Red can feel washed out when printed small.

▢Web UI & body text backgrounds
PickMaroon

Maroon hits a 10.95:1 WCAG contrast against white — safer for text-heavy interfaces — where Dark Red only reaches 10.01:1 and risks failing AA at small body sizes.

⬡Fashion & apparel
PickDark Red

Dark Red is a warm tone that flatters spring/summer collections and warmer skin undertones, while Maroon leans warmer and is better suited to autumn/winter layering.

▣Interior design & walls
PickMaroon

Maroon is the more muted of the two (100% saturation) and sits more calmly on large wall surfaces, while Dark Red's higher chroma can overwhelm a room when used beyond accent pieces.

When to Use Maroon vs Dark Red in Design

Use Maroon for:
●Alerts, errors, stop states
●Sale & promotion banners
●Food and beverage packaging
●Sports and energy branding
●Romantic & bold fashion
Use Dark Red for:
●Alerts, errors, stop states
●Sale & promotion banners
●Food and beverage packaging
●Sports and energy branding
●Romantic & bold fashion

Maroon and Dark Red Hex Codes, RGB & HSL

Maroon#800000

Maroon (RGB 128,0,0) is the CSS named dark red introduced in HTML 3.2 — exactly half-intensity red with no green or blue. It reads as traditional, academic, and serious.

HEX
RGB
HSL
HSV
CMYK
PANTONE
Shades
Tints
Dark Red#8B0000

Dark Red (RGB 139,0,0) is a slightly lighter dark red added as a CSS named color later. The 11-unit higher red channel makes it just visibly brighter than maroon.

HEX
RGB
HSL
HSV
CMYK
PANTONE
Shades
Tints

Maroon and Dark Red WCAG Contrast Ratios

Text legibility depends on the contrast ratio between foreground and background. WCAG 2.1 AA requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Use these numbers to choose accessible combinations for your design.

Sample text preview
Maroon text on white
10.95:1AAA
Sample text preview
Maroon text on black
1.92:1Fail
Sample text preview
Dark Red text on white
10.01:1AAA
Sample text preview
Dark Red text on black
2.1:1Fail
Sample text preview
Maroon text on Dark Red
1.09:1Fail
Sample text preview
Dark Red text on Maroon
1.09:1Fail

Explore Maroon and Dark Red individually

Each color has a dedicated page with shades, tints, CSS name, pairings, and color psychology.

Maroon color page#800000 · shades, tints, pairings

More Maroon and Dark Red Comparisons

BurgundyvsMaroonRedvsCrimsonMaroonvsWineCrimsonvsScarletMaroonvsChocolateRedvsScarletRedvsMaroonDark RedvsWineRustvsMaroonDark RedvsGarnetRubyvsMaroonDark RedvsScarlet

Maroon vs Dark Red FAQ

What is the difference between maroon and dark red?+
Maroon and Dark Red are near-identical red shades — they sit within a few degrees of hue, lightness, and saturation of each other. The difference is mostly in name and historical use. Maroon (#800000) is the CSS named dark red (RGB 128,0,0), while Dark Red (#8B0000) is a slightly lighter, slightly warmer dark red (RGB 139,0,0). Maroon is the web-safe half-red; dark red is marginally brighter and redder.
Is maroon darker than dark red?+
No, they're nearly the same brightness. Maroon sits at 25% lightness and Dark Red at 27% — the difference is only 2 percentage points.
Are maroon and dark red the same color?+
No. Maroon is #800000 and Dark Red is #8B0000. They differ by 0° in hue, 2% in lightness, and 0% in saturation.
Which is more saturated, maroon or dark red?+
They have nearly identical saturation — Maroon at 100% and Dark Red at 100% in HSL.
Is maroon warm or cool?+
Maroon (#800000) is a warm red. Its hue sits at 0° on the color wheel, which places it in the warm range.
Is dark red warm or cool?+
Dark Red (#8B0000) is a warm red. Its hue sits at 0° on the color wheel, which places it in the warm range.
Can you use maroon and dark red together?+
Yes. Both maroon and dark red are red shades, so they pair naturally in a monochromatic palette. Use maroon as the dominant color and dark red as the accent or highlight.
What color family does maroon belong to?+
Maroon belongs to the red family. Its HSL is 0°, 100%, 25% — a warm tone within the broader red group.
What is the hex code for maroon?+
The hex code for Maroon is #800000. In RGB, that's rgb(128, 0, 0), and in HSL it's hsl(0, 100%, 25%).
What is the hex code for dark red?+
The hex code for Dark Red is #8B0000. In RGB, that's rgb(139, 0, 0), and in HSL it's hsl(0, 100%, 27%).