What Colors Make Maroon? Step By Step Color Mixing Guide For kids

Oluwatosin Michael
Oct 17, 2023 By Oluwatosin Michael
Originally Published on Oct 28, 2021
Maroon is a darker shade of red
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 6.2 Min

Maroon is regarded as one of the most desired colors in the color wheel.

The color maroon is dark, brownish red. In order to make maroon, mixing the colors red and brown is done.

Maroon colors are often seen during the autumn and harvest time; the leaves which would fall off the tree change their color. The maroon color is also used in decorations.

The maroon color represents intense and passionate things. It represents confidence, excitement, power, risk, passion, love, ambition, courage, strength, warmth, and beauty.

Here you'll get all the answers that you need to know about Maroon. You'll find out what colors make maroon and how you can pair it with other colors to achieve beautiful results. Afterward, do read about what color makes vermilion and what color makes gray?

What does maroon look like?

The name 'maroon' was primarily used in the English language, in the year 1789. It was derived from marron, which is a French word for chestnut. Chestnut is a nut that is deep reddish brown in color.

Maroon, which has a Hex code of #800000, is a very deep shade of red.

Due to its dark red hue, the color maroon still sometimes looks similar to the brown color. The hex color chart that is used by web designers and developers, considers maroon as one of the shades of brown.

It has a very close appearance to two shades of red according to the hex chart; the dark red color that has the hex code of #8B0000 and the firebrick color which has the hex code #B22222.

What colors go well with maroon?

You already know what colors make maroon. Therefore, what do you think, what color compliments maroon? Maroon pairs nicely with dusty pinks, cool grays, soft browns, and nudes. All of them look lovely with maroon. It can also go pretty well with neutrals like white. The complementary shade of maroon is teal according to the color wheel.

The colors that pair well with maroon paint include blue, teal, dusty rose, gray, nude, white, and gold. Maroon with blue looks perfect, as the former is a darker color which makes an amazing combination with the light shade of blue. Maroon with white looks sophisticated.

Beige, purple, black form a cool pair with maroon. Red, yellow green, and off white compliments the maroon color as well. Light colors are the best color combinations with maroon.

An artist would add some white to make a lighter shade of maroon paint.

Different Shades Of Maroon

Maroon is a darker shade of red, which can be formed by combining red with black at proper proportions.

It is an eye catching color having a bit of brownish and purple.

There are different maroon color shades: dark maroon, burnt maroon, maroon oak, bright maroon, royal maroon, crimson maroon, maroon pink, dark red, deep chestnut, rose vale, fire engine red, lava, Cornell red, Alabama crimson, crimson glory, Ruby red, cadmium red, mordant red, antique ruby, sangria and even more are related to this color.

There are some colors that are related to maroons such as burgundy, scarlet, crimson, dark red, firebrick, claret, oxblood, and carmine.

Maroon Color Combinations

Maroon is a combination of red and brown generally. In order to achieve a deep maroon color, you should take a base of red and then mix blue to it. The ratio of red blue should be 5:1.

Once you’ve darkened the red paint with the blue, you need to add a very small amount of yellow paint to it. You'll then get the desired shade of brownish bit in maroon. You can change the ratios in order to achieve the perfect tone you require.

In an RGB color model which is made from three colors red, green, and blue, the maroon paint is made of 50.2 percent red only.

In the RYB model, that is, red blue, and yellow, 50 percent red is taken and 0 percent blue and yellow to make maroon. While, in a CMYK color space which is also known as process color and used in color printing, maroon is made of 0 percent cyan, 100 percent magenta, 100 percent yellow, and 50 percent black.

Maroon has a  no hue angle, a  100 percent saturation, and a lightness of 25.1 percent.

Burgundy comes from the color red and is nearest to the shade of maroon. It is made of three colors. The primary colors of red and blue are used and brown is added.

Mix red and blue to get it, and after that, we need to mix it again with red. This will lead to the burgundy color of our preference. The lighter undertone of burgundy is obtained with a more bright red mixture.

If we want to make burgundy from the CMYK model, then we first take the magenta color. Then we'll have 20% of the magenta and mix it with one of the primary colors that are red. Mix the magenta with 30% red and 50% black. You'll get the color which you want.

Another way to make burgundy is by using hex colors. That means combining 42% red, 21% blue, 2% of green, and 35% of black. For getting the perfect shades you need to remember that, to get a lighter shade you need to add the brighter color more and vice versa.

No, they are not the same. Burgundy and maroon are often mistaken, they are considered the same color but there are key differences between them.

We know that maroon is obtained by mixing red and brown while burgundy is obtained from the mixture of red and purple. Thus making burgundy look much brighter in appearance than maroon. Burgundy also has more of a purplish bit in it.

Maroon has a brownish crimson touch in it and also it resembles red or brown when we see the color from a distance. Whereas, burgundy becomes a color that has a dark red nature. The burgundy color is taken from the burgundy wine, on the other hand, the maroon color is taken from the french word for chestnut.

Burgundy comes with the same name and original color as burgundy wine. Wherein, the color maroon does not exist as a natural color but has its existence only as a mixture.

Maroon symbolizes bravery and sacrifice whereas burgundy is a symbol of wealth and power.

In order to make maroon for use in your art, first get the primary colors, red, blue, and yellow paint. Maroon is primarily made up of red and blue, and yellow is generally used to add brownish undertones according to our requirements.

Mixing the ratios of red to blue, to get the maroon color. As blue is a darker color, it can easily overpower red. Hence, creating a more bluish shade of maroon. More red is required to make this color. To achieve deeper red marron, for every part of blue, you will have to mix five parts of red.

Then to that mixture, add yellow till you get maroon color. The mixture of blue and red will provide you with a shade that is somewhere between deep brown and violet and depending on the paint that you choose to use.

Maroon has a dark red hue, and if maroon has more of a violet color than a red hue, you need to add some yellow to adjust it.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what colors make maroon then why not take a look at what color is cayn, or what color is venus facts pages?

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Written by Oluwatosin Michael

Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology

Oluwatosin Michael picture

Oluwatosin MichaelBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology

With a Bachelor's in Microbiology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oluwatosin has honed his skills as an SEO content writer, editor, and growth manager. He has written articles, conducted extensive research, and optimized content for search engines. His expertise extends to leading link-building efforts and revising onboarding strategies. 

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