#494B81
Closest named color: Twilight (#4E518B). oklch(43.7% 0.088 280.5), rgb(73, 75, 129).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (8.05:1).
About this color
#494B81 is a dark, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 44%, its chroma 0.088 and its hue 280°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Twilight (#4E518B), ΔE 0.024 away. White text reads best on it, at 8.05:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (44%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.088) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Twilight (#4E518B) |
| Black text | 2.60:1 |
| White text | 8.05:1 |
Values
| HEX | #494B81 |
| RGB | rgb(73, 75, 129) |
| HSL | hsl(238, 28%, 40%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(43.7% 0.088 280.5) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #494B81 | 8.05:1 | AAA | Lc -92.5 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #494B81 | 2.60:1 | Fails | Lc 16.2 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #494B81 text on white | 8.05:1 | AAA | Lc 87.8 | Fine for body text |
| #494B81 text on black | 2.60:1 | Fails | Lc -14.3 | Not readable |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 800.
-
Step 50
50
#F4F5FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 277.2)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 281.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D5D7EC
oklch(88.4% 0.029 281.5)
-
Step 300
300
#BABEE2
oklch(81% 0.051 280.2)
-
Step 400
400
#979BD3
oklch(70.7% 0.082 280.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7E82C8
oklch(63.2% 0.105 280.4)
-
Step 600
600
#676AB5
oklch(55.6% 0.115 280.2)
-
Step 700
700
#56589B
oklch(49% 0.106 280.4)
-
Step 800
800 (this color)
#494B81
oklch(43.7% 0.088 280.5)
-
Step 900
900
#3B3D65
oklch(37.7% 0.068 280.4)
-
Step 950
950
#22243B
oklch(27% 0.043 279.3)
#494B81 with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #385283 | 0.028 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #354E80 | 0.028 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #38565F | 0.078 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #505050 | 0.088 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #494B81
#494B81
oklch(43.7% 0.088 280.5)
- #5D5206
#5D5206
oklch(43.6% 0.088 100)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #494B81, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Twilight #4E518B ΔE 0.024
- Dusk #4E5481 ΔE 0.028
- Dark Slate Blue #483D8B ΔE 0.044
- Dusk Blue #26538D ΔE 0.046
- Blueberry #464196 ΔE 0.048
- Dusty Grape #545775 ΔE 0.049
- Denim Blue #3B5B92 ΔE 0.049
- Light Navy Blue #2E5A88 ΔE 0.050
Use #494B81 in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.