#B38BDA
Closest named color: Pale Purple (#B790D4). oklch(70.4% 0.12 306.8), rgb(179, 139, 218).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (7.62:1).
About this color
#B38BDA is a medium-light, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 70%, its chroma 0.120 and its hue 307°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pale Purple (#B790D4), ΔE 0.019 away. Black text reads best on it, at 7.62:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | medium-light (70%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.120) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Pale Purple (#B790D4) |
| Black text | 7.62:1 |
| White text | 2.75:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B38BDA |
| RGB | rgb(179, 139, 218) |
| HSL | hsl(270, 52%, 70%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(70.4% 0.12 306.8) |
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 #B38BDA | 2.75:1 | Fails | Lc -58.4 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #B38BDA | 7.62:1 | AAA | Lc 50.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B38BDA text on white | 2.75:1 | Fails | Lc 53.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #B38BDA text on black | 7.62:1 | AAA | Lc -48.7 | 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
#F7F4FB
oklch(97.1% 0.01 305.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EDE6F6
oklch(93.5% 0.023 305.6)
-
Step 200
200
#E0D2EF
oklch(88.4% 0.042 307.2)
-
Step 300
300
#CDB4E7
oklch(80.8% 0.075 307)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#B38BDA
oklch(70.4% 0.12 306.8)
-
Step 500
500
#A26DD1
oklch(63.1% 0.153 307)
-
Step 600
600
#8D53BE
oklch(55.7% 0.166 306.8)
-
Step 700
700
#7842A4
oklch(49.1% 0.156 307)
-
Step 800
800
#613785
oklch(42.6% 0.129 306.6)
-
Step 900
900
#4F316A
oklch(37.7% 0.099 306.6)
-
Step 950
950
#2E1D3E
oklch(26.9% 0.063 306.4)
#B38BDA 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) | #7B9ADD | 0.083 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #839CD8 | 0.078 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #AE97A8 | 0.090 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #9C9C9C | 0.120 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B38BDA
#B38BDA
oklch(70.4% 0.12 306.8)
- #8CAD57
#8CAD57
oklch(70.4% 0.12 126.6)
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 #B38BDA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pale Purple #B790D4 ΔE 0.019
- Wisteria #A87DC2 ΔE 0.049
- Perrywinkle #8F8CE7 ΔE 0.057
- Liliac #C48EFD ΔE 0.058
- Baby Purple #CA9BF7 ΔE 0.065
- Lavender Pink #DD85D7 ΔE 0.069
- Light Purple #BF77F6 ΔE 0.070
- Periwinkle Blue #8F99FB ΔE 0.070
Use #B38BDA 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.