Colors · value from the CSS Color Module Level 4 (W3C)

Light coral color: hex code #F08080, RGB and shades

Light coral is #F08080 (RGB 240, 128, 128), a CSS named color: a soft, warm pinkish red. Dark text works best on it; black reaches 8.10:1, while white text falls short at 2.59:1.

By Paul Gunder. Every value is computed from published standards; see how ColorPlum works.

Updated November 10, 2026

ColorPlum swatchLight corallight, saturated red

HEX: #F08080
RGB: rgb(240, 128, 128)
HSL: hsl(0, 79%, 72%)

Best text on it: black at 8.10:1

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Light coral#F08080

Every code for Light coral

HEX#F08080
RGBrgb(240, 128, 128)
HSLhsl(0, 79%, 72%)
HSV0°, 47%, 94%
CMYK0%, 47%, 47%, 6%
Lablab(66.7% 43.8 20.5)
OKLCHoklch(72.5% 0.138 21)
Decimal15761536

Tints, shades and tones

From white to black in 10% steps, with Light coral in the middle. Tap a code to copy it.

90%#FEF2F2
80%#FCE6E6
70%#FBD9D9
60%#F9CCCC
50%#F8C0C0
40%#F6B3B3
30%#F5A6A6
20%#F39999
10%#F28D8D
Base#F08080
10%#D87373
20%#C06666
30%#A85A5A
40%#904D4D
50%#784040
60%#603333
70%#482626
80%#301A1A
90%#180D0D

Tones (mixed with gray)

10%#E58080
20%#DA8080
30%#CE8080
40%#C38080
50%#B88080
60%#AD8080
70%#A28080
80%#968080
90%#8B8080

Matching colors

Complementary

#F08080
#80F0F0

Analogous

#F080B8
#F08080
#F0B880

Triadic

#F08080
#80F080
#8080F0

Split complementary

#F08080
#80F0B8
#80B8F0

Tetradic (square)

#F08080
#B8F080
#80F0F0
#B880F0

Monochromatic

#C01717
#E83C3C
#F08080
#F8C4C4
#FDEDED

Light coral in 3D color space

OKLab, the space ColorPlum does its math in: lightness runs up the pole, hue goes around it and saturation grows outward. The faint shell is every color a screen can show (saturation is drawn wider than lightness so hues separate). Drag to turn it.

Light coral with its complement, its triad and its tint and shade

Light coral
Triad #80F080
Triad #8080F0
Complement
50% tint
50% shade

Light coral in use

New collectionAutumn edit

Card body text stays dark for reading; light coral carries the header and the button.

Shop nowTag

Headline in Light coral

A paragraph with a link in dark text, because this color is too light for text on white; use it for fills instead.

How it looks with color-vision deficiency

A simulation (Machado and colleagues, 2009) of how the color and its complement read without one type of cone.

Typical color vision#F08080
Protanopia (no red cones)#98937F
Deuteranopia (no green cones)#B4AA7E
Tritanopia (no blue cones)#FF7181

Contrast and readability

Pairing	Ratio	WCAG 2.2
as text on white	2.59:1	AA AA large AAA
as text on black	8.10:1	AA AA large AAA
white text on it	2.59:1	AA AA large AAA
black text on it	8.10:1	AA AA large AAA
on your background	2.26:1	AA AA large AAA

Try a background

Export

:root {
  --light-coral: #f08080;
  --light-coral-rgb: 240 128 128;
  --light-coral-on: #000000;
}

On this page

Light coral is written lightcoral in CSS and has the value #F08080. It is a friendly pinkish red: warm, a little soft, and brighter than a brick tone. The name comes from the pinkish-red look of coral, though the color is a flat screen value and not meant to match any real reef.

What the codes mean

In RGB it is 240, 128, 128, so red is nearly full and green and blue are exactly equal at half strength. That equal pair is why the hue sits right at 0° in HSL, with 79% saturation and 72% lightness. The CMYK estimate is 0%, 47%, 47%, 6%. Because red is the only dominant channel, light coral reads as red thinned out with white, not as orange.

Its neighbors in the CSS list are salmon (#FA8072), 2.5 away in OKLab distance, then darksalmon (#E9967A) and coral (#FF7F50), which lean more orange. In the xkcd survey list the nearest names are "salmon pink" (#FE7B7C) at 2.5 and "blush pink" (#FE828C) at 3.0. If you want the pinker end of this family, try peach for the opposite, orange-leaning direction.

Using light coral well

Text on it: use black or a deep red. Black on light coral is 8.10:1, and the 70% shade #482626 makes a warm dark alternative. White text is 2.59:1 and fails.
As text: light coral on white is the same 2.59:1, so keep it for large decoration, not for links or labels.
Tints: the 80% tint, #FCE6E6, and the 90% tint, #FEF2F2, are gentle blush backgrounds.
Pairings: the complement is a pale aqua, #80F0F0, which makes a lively summer pairing. Navy, cream and olive also suit it.

Worked example

Suppose you are building a newsletter sign-up button. A light coral fill feels inviting, and the label will be dark, not white. Put #4D0000 on #F08080 and the contrast is 6.16:1, which passes AA for any text size. Black does even better at 8.10:1, so if the button label is small, go with black. For the hover state, switch the fill to the 40% shade, #904D4D, and the label to white, which reaches 6.26:1. A hover that flips both colors keeps the label readable as the button darkens, which is easy to test one step at a time in the contrast panel on this page.

Light coral versus coral and salmon

The three names overlap in ordinary speech. In CSS, coral is the more orange of the set, salmon is a touch more orange than light coral, and light coral is the pinkest. If a client says they want "coral", ask them to point at a swatch or give you a hex code; one word will not settle it. For related warm colors, the sunset palettes show how these reds pair with oranges and purples.

Tones (mixed with gray)

What the codes mean

Using light coral well

Worked example

Light coral versus coral and salmon

Sources