Brick red is a rich, deep reddish hue that resembles the color of bricks. In the Crayola crayon catalog, brick red is known as “red-orange” and is assigned the color hexadecimal code #C55A11. This vivid reddish-orange shade has been in the Crayola lineup since 1903 when the company first began producing crayons.
History of Brick Red in Crayola
The Crayola crayon company was founded in 1903 by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. Their first box of crayons contained 8 colors, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. Over the next few decades, Crayola continued expanding their color selection, introducing creative new crayon names and hues.
In 1958, Crayola debuted their 64 count crayon box, which contained 16 new colors, including brick red. Released along with other vivid shades like magenta and aquamarine, brick red gave artists a richer spectrum of color options.
Since its introduction in the 1950s, brick red has remained a staple Crayola crayon color. It has been included in every large Crayola assortment from 64 count boxes to 120 count offerings. Over the years, Crayola has tweaked the brick red formula and specifications slightly, adjusting the pigments and waxy composition, but the tone has remained essentially the same rich, orangey red.
Specifications of Brick Red
In its current incarnation, Crayola brick red is formulated with a combination of iron oxide and carnauba wax. It is an opaque, non-fluorescent crayon color. On the Crayola color wheel, brick red is located between orange and red, leaning closer to the orange spectrum.
The specific hexadecimal code assigned to Crayola brick red is #C55A11. This means it contains:
- 77.25% red
- 35.29% green
- 6.67% blue
With its strong red-orange character, Crayola brick red sits between scarlet and vermilion on the color spectrum. When compared to other popular red crayon shades, it is darker and more orange-toned than Crayola’s red and lighter and pinker than Crayola’s maroon.
Uses of Brick Red
Brick red is a fun, fiery color that has many applications for art, design, and DIY projects. Here are some popular ways to utilize this rich Crayola crayon hue:
- Coloring: Brick red crayons can be used to color in images of bricks, clay pots, autumn leaves, barns, Southwestern motifs, sunsets, and more.
- Crafting: The vivid color is perfect for handmade cards, ornaments, flower arrangements, jewelry, candles, and other arts & crafts.
- Home décor: Brick red can be incorporated into area rugs, throw pillows, vases, wall art, and other home accessories.
- Paint projects: Use brick red acrylic paint for furniture like benches, signs, planter boxes, picture frames, and decorative trim.
- Baking: Tint frosting, cake batter, cookie dough, or candy mixtures with brick red food coloring.
- Special effects: Combine with blacks and grays for ghoulish Halloween crafts or costumes.
Brick red is a flexible color that works in many design styles from modern farmhouse to eclectic vintage. It has a timeless, classic feel yet also provides an energetic pop of color.
Closest Paint Color Matches
If you love the look of Crayola brick red and want to use it in a painting or home project, there are several ready-made paint colors that are very close matches. Here are some of the top brick red paint shades from major brands:
| Paint Brand | Color Name | Hex Code |
|---|---|---|
| Behr | Chianti | #C35831 |
| Benjamin Moore | Caliente AF-15 | #C35831 |
| Sherwin-Williams | Fireweed | #C75E23 |
| Valspar | Flamenco | #CA4F31 |
As you can see, these major paint brands offer brick red tones with very similar hex codes to original Crayola brick red. All provide that same rich, orangey-red color when painted on walls, furniture, crafts, or other surfaces.
Matching Brick Red Fabrics
In addition to paint, brick red can also be incorporated into sewing and fabric projects by using solids and prints in matching shades. Here are some great fabric choices:
- Kaufman Kona Cotton Solid in Clay
- Robert Kaufman Etchings in Crimson
- Moda Grunge Basics in Barn Red
- Riley Blake Southwestern Flair Cotton Prints
These fabrics range from pure brick red solids to Southwest-inspired prints in complementary reds, oranges, and earth tones. They can be used to sew quilts, apparel, home decor items, bags, and various other projects.
Conclusion
With its fiery orange-red color, Crayola brick red has become a staple shade for artists, crafters, and designers. It has been included in Crayola’s crayon palette since 1958, retaining its signature reddish-orange tone. This vivid color can be incorporated into coloring, painting, baking, sewing, and endless DIY projects. Paints from Behr, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Valspar all offer very close matches to Crayola’s brick red hue. Fabrics like solids from Kona Cotton and prints from Riley Blake provide even more ways to work this color into your projects and designs.