REDS
Salsa
#AC5540
Salsa is #AC5540 in HEX — rgb(172, 85, 64), hsl(12°, 46%, 46%), cmyk(0%, 51%, 63%, 33%).
Salsa pulls into the mid-tone end of the reds spectrum — HSL 12°, 46%, 46%. The balanced saturation makes it confident without overpowering, 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
Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands
Light Reflectance & Undertone
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
16/100
Dark
Soaks up light and feels moody and intimate. Great for studies, dining rooms and accent walls; pair with ample lighting.
Undertone
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
Analogous
Triadic
Split-Complementary
Tetradic
Monochromatic
Rectangle
Compound
Shades & Tints
Shades and tints of Salsa run from a pale tint down to a deep shade — same hue and saturation, lightness stepped. Each rung below shows its exact HEX code; tap any to copy it.
Variations
Lighter
Darker
Saturation
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)
Deuteranopia
Protanopia
Tritanopia
Color Psychology
Bold · Energetic
Salsa 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.
How it looks under different light
Pairs With
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
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
color: #AC5540;background-color: #AC5540;--color-salsa: #AC5540;colors: { 'salsa': '#AC5540' }bg-[#AC5540] text-[#AC5540]$salsa: #AC5540;Similar Colors
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 #AC5540?
#AC5540 is Salsa, a mid-tone red with a warm undertone.
Is #AC5540 warm or cool?
Salsa reads warm, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.
What rooms work best with Salsa?
Salsa works well in dining rooms, hallways, feature walls. Designers typically use it for accent walls, doors, statement furniture.
What colors pair well with Salsa?
Salsa 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 Salsa?
You can download Salsa 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 Salsa?
The hex code is #AC5540. In RGB it's 172, 85, 64, and in HSL it's 12°, 46%, 46%.