#503E59
Closest named color: Charcoal Grey (#3C4142). oklch(39.4% 0.05 314.2), rgb(80, 62, 89).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (9.65:1).
About this color
#503E59 is a dark, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 39%, its chroma 0.050 and its hue 314°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Charcoal Grey (#3C4142), ΔE 0.057 away. White text reads best on it, at 9.65:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (39%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.050) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Charcoal Grey (#3C4142) |
| Black text | 2.17:1 |
| White text | 9.65:1 |
Values
| HEX | #503E59 |
| RGB | rgb(80, 62, 89) |
| HSL | hsl(280, 18%, 30%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(39.4% 0.05 314.2) |
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 #503E59 | 9.65:1 | AAA | Lc -96.6 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #503E59 | 2.17:1 | Fails | Lc 11.6 | Not readable |
| #503E59 text on white | 9.65:1 | AAA | Lc 92.3 | Preferred for body text |
| #503E59 text on black | 2.17:1 | Fails | Lc -10.1 | 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 900.
-
Step 50
50
#F7F4F8
oklch(97.1% 0.006 317.8)
-
Step 100
100
#ECE8EF
oklch(93.6% 0.01 311.2)
-
Step 200
200
#DED5E3
oklch(88.4% 0.021 313.8)
-
Step 300
300
#CABAD2
oklch(81% 0.038 314.6)
-
Step 400
400
#AF96BB
oklch(70.8% 0.06 314.8)
-
Step 500
500
#9B7CAA
oklch(63.2% 0.076 314.5)
-
Step 600
600
#856496
oklch(55.5% 0.084 313.8)
-
Step 700
700
#71537F
oklch(49.1% 0.077 314.7)
-
Step 800
800
#5C4468
oklch(42.7% 0.065 314.1)
-
Step 900
900 (this color)
#503E59
oklch(39.4% 0.05 314.2)
-
Step 950
950
#2C2231
oklch(27% 0.031 314.3)
#503E59 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) | #3A445A | 0.039 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #3E4558 | 0.036 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #4F4148 | 0.034 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #454545 | 0.050 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #503E59
#503E59
oklch(39.4% 0.05 314.2)
- #3B4C30
#3B4C30
oklch(39.4% 0.05 133.7)
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 #503E59, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Charcoal Grey #3C4142 ΔE 0.057
- Purple Brown #673A3F ΔE 0.058
- Dark Grey Blue #29465B ΔE 0.061
- Onyx #343A40 ΔE 0.067
- Charcoal #264653 ΔE 0.068
- Dark Slate Gray #2F4F4F ΔE 0.076
- Brownish Purple #76424E ΔE 0.077
- Dusty Grape #545775 ΔE 0.078
Use #503E59 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.