English red
A muted red pigment made from iron oxide, close to Indian red
English red is a subdued red colour, made from iron oxide pigment. It is closely related to Indian red and has been used under this name since the 1700s, though sometimes the names were used interchangeably. The pigment gives a warm, earthy red tone.
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- English red is made from iron oxide pigment
- It is a tone of Indian red
- The name dates back to the 1700s
- Indian red and English red were sometimes used interchangeably
What colour is English red?
English red is a muted, earthy red colour. It is a tone of Indian red, with a similar appearance, and is made using iron oxide pigment. The colour sits between a deep brick red and a brownish red, giving it a subdued warmth that sets it apart from brighter reds. Its look is natural and understated.
Where does English red come from?
The name English red was first recorded in English in the 1700s. In 1765, the Encyclopédie by Denis Diderot noted that Indian red was sometimes also called English red, though this was considered improper. The two names have often been used for similar iron oxide-based reds.
How is English red made?
English red pigment is created from iron oxide, a mineral substance. The process is the same as for Indian red, where iron oxide is ground into a fine powder and used as a colouring agent. This gives the pigment its characteristic earthy red shade.
Red around the world
What the red family means from country to country.
The flag uses the four Pan-Arab colours: a red bar at the hoist with green, white and black bands. It was designed by a young Emirati, Abdullah Al Maainah, in 1971.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of the United Arab EmiratesThe flag is a black double-headed eagle on red, the banner of the fifteenth-century hero Skanderbeg. Fans chant Kuq e Zi, red and black.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of AlbaniaArmenian scribes painted manuscripts with vordan karmir, a crimson dye made from an insect that lives on the roots of grasses in the Ararat plain.
Sacred and holySource: Armenian cochinealUnder Juan Manuel de Rosas in the 1830s and 1840s, everyone had to wear a scarlet ribbon to show loyalty to his Federalist party. His enemies, the Unitarians, were tied to sky blue.
Politics and protestFearSource: Juan Manuel de RosasThe flag is red, white and red. Legend says Duke Leopold V's white tunic was soaked in blood at the siege of Acre, all but the band under his belt.
Politics and protestCourageSource: Flag of AustriaRed ochre is used in Aboriginal rock art and ceremony, and is traded over long distances. In the Aboriginal flag the red half stands for the earth and for that ochre.
Sacred and holyNature and renewalAweSource: Australian Aboriginal flagShades and relatives of English red
English red is very close to Indian red, and the two have sometimes been confused or used as alternate names for the same pigment. Both are iron oxide reds, but English red is considered a specific tone within this family.
Colours that go with English red
Harmonies are worked out from the value #AB4B52. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about English red
What colour is English red?
English red is a muted, earthy red shade made from iron oxide pigment. It is closely related to Indian red and has a subdued, natural appearance.
Where does the name English red come from?
The name English red was first recorded in the 1700s. It has sometimes been used interchangeably with Indian red, though this was noted as improper in an 18th-century encyclopaedia.
What is English red made from?
English red is made from iron oxide, a mineral pigment. The process is the same as for Indian red, involving grinding iron oxide into a fine powder.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Iron oxide red" (the section "English red"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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