Red (NCS)
A standard red defined by the Natural Color System
Red (NCS) is a specific shade of red set by the Natural Color System, known as NCS 1080-R. This system defines colours based on how people see them, using four main hues: red, yellow, green, and blue. Red (NCS) is widely used in Scandinavia for design and industry.
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- Red (NCS) is defined as NCS 1080-R.
- It is a psychological primary colour in the NCS.
- The NCS is based on how people see colours.
- Red (NCS) is widely used in Scandinavia.
What colour is Red (NCS)?
Red (NCS) is a particular shade of red defined by the Natural Color System, a method for describing colours as people see them. It is labelled as NCS 1080-R. This red is chosen to represent the purest form of red in this system, setting it apart from other reds by its standardised definition.
Where does Red (NCS) come from?
The name comes from the Natural Color System, which is based on the idea of four unique hues: red, yellow, green, and blue. These are called psychological primary colours because they are seen as basic by the human eye. The NCS was developed to describe colours as they are perceived, rather than by how they are made.
How Red (NCS) is defined
Red (NCS) is not made from a pigment or dye, but is defined by its place in the Natural Color System. The NCS uses codes to describe colours based on human vision, and NCS 1080-R is the code for this standard red. It is used as a reference in design and industry.
Where Red (NCS) is used
The Natural Color System, and with it Red (NCS), is widely used in Scandinavia. It helps designers, architects, and manufacturers choose and match colours based on how they appear to people, rather than on their chemical makeup.
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 Red (NCS)
Red (NCS) is just one of many reds defined by different systems. It is sometimes called psychological primary red to set it apart from other reds in paint or print. Other systems may define red differently, but NCS 1080-R is fixed by its standard.
Colours that go with Red (NCS)
Harmonies are worked out from the value #C40233. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Red (NCS)
What colour is Red (NCS)?
Red (NCS) is a standard shade of red defined by the Natural Color System as NCS 1080-R. It represents the purest form of red in this system.
Where does the name Red (NCS) come from?
The name comes from the Natural Color System, which uses codes like NCS 1080-R to define colours as people see them.
What is the Natural Color System?
The Natural Color System is a way to describe colours based on four unique hues—red, yellow, green, and blue—as seen by the human eye.
Where is Red (NCS) commonly used?
Red (NCS) and the NCS system are widely used in Scandinavia for design and industry.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shades of red" (the section "Red (NCS) (psychological primary 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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