#B38ABE
Closest named color: Pale Purple (#B790D4). oklch(69% 0.087 319), rgb(179, 138, 190).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (7.29:1).
About this color
#B38ABE is a medium-light, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 69%, its chroma 0.087 and its hue 319°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pale Purple (#B790D4), ΔE 0.033 away. Black text reads best on it, at 7.29:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | medium-light (69%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.087) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Pale Purple (#B790D4) |
| Black text | 7.29:1 |
| White text | 2.87:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B38ABE |
| RGB | rgb(179, 138, 190) |
| HSL | hsl(287, 29%, 64%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(69% 0.087 319) |
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 #B38ABE | 2.87:1 | Fails | Lc -60.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #B38ABE | 7.29:1 | AAA | Lc 49.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B38ABE text on white | 2.87:1 | Fails | Lc 55.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B38ABE text on black | 7.29:1 | AAA | Lc -46.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F8F4F9
oklch(97.2% 0.008 319.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EFE7F1
oklch(93.7% 0.016 319.4)
-
Step 200
200
#E2D3E6
oklch(88.5% 0.03 319.1)
-
Step 300
300
#D0B6D7
oklch(80.9% 0.054 319)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#B38ABE
oklch(69% 0.087 319)
-
Step 500
500
#A673B4
oklch(63.1% 0.11 318.8)
-
Step 600
600
#915AA0
oklch(55.6% 0.121 318.8)
-
Step 700
700
#7C4A89
oklch(49.2% 0.112 319.1)
-
Step 800
800
#653D6F
oklch(42.8% 0.093 319.4)
-
Step 900
900
#52345A
oklch(37.7% 0.073 319)
-
Step 950
950
#301F35
oklch(27% 0.046 318.4)
#B38ABE 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) | #8495C0 | 0.071 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8D9ABC | 0.068 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B4909C | 0.058 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #989898 | 0.088 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B38ABE
#B38ABE
oklch(69% 0.087 319)
- #7FA974
#7FA974
oklch(69% 0.088 139.2)
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 #B38ABE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.033
- Dusty Lavender #AC86A8 ΔE 0.034
- Heather #A484AC ΔE 0.038
- Wisteria #A87DC2 ΔE 0.042
- Light Mauve #C292A1 ΔE 0.059
- Grey Pink #C3909B ΔE 0.064
- Dull Pink #D5869D ΔE 0.071
- Soft Purple #A66FB5 ΔE 0.072
Use #B38ABE 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.