#856E81
Closest named color: Purple Grey (#866F85). oklch(56.7% 0.04 332), rgb(133, 110, 129).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (4.62:1).
About this color
#856E81 is a medium-dark, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 57%, its chroma 0.040 and its hue 332°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Purple Grey (#866F85), ΔE 0.006 away. White text reads best on it, at 4.62:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | medium-dark (57%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.040) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Purple Grey (#866F85) |
| Black text | 4.54:1 |
| White text | 4.62:1 |
Values
| HEX | #856E81 |
| RGB | rgb(133, 110, 129) |
| HSL | hsl(310, 9%, 48%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(56.7% 0.04 332) |
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 #856E81 | 4.62:1 | AA | Lc -77.5 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #856E81 | 4.54:1 | AA | Lc 32.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #856E81 text on white | 4.62:1 | AA | Lc 72.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #856E81 text on black | 4.54:1 | AA | Lc -29.6 | Dividers and decoration only |
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 600.
-
Step 50
50
#F6F5F6
oklch(97.1% 0.002 325.6)
-
Step 100
100
#ECE9EB
oklch(93.7% 0.004 337.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DDD7DC
oklch(88.5% 0.009 331)
-
Step 300
300
#C8BDC6
oklch(81% 0.017 331.7)
-
Step 400
400
#AC9AA9
oklch(70.7% 0.03 331.4)
-
Step 500
500
#978294
oklch(63.2% 0.036 330.7)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#856E81
oklch(56.7% 0.04 332)
-
Step 700
700
#6E596A
oklch(49.1% 0.038 332.7)
-
Step 800
800
#594957
oklch(42.7% 0.031 330.2)
-
Step 900
900
#4A3D47
oklch(37.7% 0.024 334.1)
-
Step 950
950
#2B242A
oklch(27.1% 0.015 330.7)
#856E81 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) | #6E7382 | 0.037 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #737680 | 0.035 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #876F74 | 0.021 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #757575 | 0.040 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #856E81
#856E81
oklch(56.7% 0.04 332)
- #657E6B
#657E6B
oklch(56.8% 0.041 152.2)
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 #856E81, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Purple Grey #866F85 ΔE 0.006
- Grey Purple #826D8C ΔE 0.019
- Faded Purple #916E99 ΔE 0.043
- Battleship Gray #6C757D ΔE 0.043
- Dark Lavender #856798 ΔE 0.046
- Dusty Purple #825F87 ΔE 0.046
- Dusky Purple #895B7B ΔE 0.050
- Reddish Grey #997570 ΔE 0.050
Use #856E81 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.