Amethyst #9B5FC0
Amethyst is a medium-dark, vivid purple with hex code #9B5FC0 and RGB rgb(155, 95, 192).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (4.79:1).
About this color
#9B5FC0 is a medium-dark, vivid purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 59%, its chroma 0.154 and its hue 311°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. It is the named color Amethyst. Black text reads best on it, at 4.79:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | medium-dark (59%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.154) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Amethyst |
| Black text | 4.79:1 |
| White text | 4.38:1 |
Colors that go with Amethyst
Matches found by rotating Amethyst around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Amethyst
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Amethyst, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Amethyst, with their ΔE distance.
- Deep Lavender #8D5EB7 ΔE 0.028
- Deep Lilac #966EBD ΔE 0.037
- Soft Purple #A66FB5 ΔE 0.051
- Medium Purple #9370DB ΔE 0.053
- Dark Lilac #9C6DA5 ΔE 0.060
- Medium Orchid #BA55D3 ΔE 0.064
- Purply #983FB2 ΔE 0.068
- Purpley #8756E4 ΔE 0.072
More about Amethyst
How to make Amethyst
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 4 parts purple
- 3 parts white
- 1 part blue
Recipe result: #9A64C4, a difference of ΔE 0.011 from Amethyst. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Amethyst in every format
| HEX | #9B5FC0 |
| RGB | rgb(155, 95, 192) |
| HSL | hsl(277, 43%, 56%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(59.2% 0.154 311.1) |
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 #9B5FC0 | 4.38:1 | AA large text | Lc -75.6 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #9B5FC0 | 4.79:1 | AA | Lc 34.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #9B5FC0 text on white | 4.38:1 | AA large text | Lc 70.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #9B5FC0 text on black | 4.79:1 | AA | Lc -31.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
Shades and tints of Amethyst
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
#F7F4FA
oklch(97.1% 0.009 308.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EEE6F4
oklch(93.5% 0.021 311.1)
-
Step 200
200
#E1D2EC
oklch(88.4% 0.039 311.1)
-
Step 300
300
#CFB4E2
oklch(80.8% 0.07 311.2)
-
Step 400
400
#B78CD3
oklch(70.6% 0.111 311.4)
-
Step 500
500
#A56EC8
oklch(63.1% 0.142 311.1)
-
Step 600
600 (this color)
#9B5FC0
oklch(59.2% 0.154 311.1)
-
Step 700
700
#7A449B
oklch(49% 0.143 310.9)
-
Step 800
800
#64387E
oklch(42.7% 0.12 311.4)
-
Step 900
900
#513165
oklch(37.6% 0.093 311.1)
-
Step 950
950
#301D3B
oklch(27% 0.059 312.1)
Amethyst 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) | #4776C3 | 0.127 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #587ABD | 0.115 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #976F87 | 0.107 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #797979 | 0.155 |
Use Amethyst 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.