Thistle #D8BFD8
Thistle is a light, muted purple with hex code #D8BFD8 and RGB rgb(216, 191, 216).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.36:1).
About this color
#D8BFD8 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 83%, its chroma 0.044 and its hue 326°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. It is the named color Thistle. Black text reads best on it, at 12.36:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (83%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.044) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Thistle |
| Black text | 12.36:1 |
| White text | 1.69:1 |
Colors that go with Thistle
Matches found by rotating Thistle 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 Thistle
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Thistle, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Thistle, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.048
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.051
- Light Lavender #DFC5FE ΔE 0.053
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.054
- Cadet Gray #CED4DA ΔE 0.055
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.055
- Light Gray #D3D3D3 ΔE 0.055
- Pastel Pink #FFBACD ΔE 0.059
More about Thistle
How to make Thistle
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 white
- 2 parts gray
- 1 part purple
Recipe result: #D6C4D9, a difference of ΔE 0.014 from Thistle. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Thistle in every format
| HEX | #D8BFD8 |
| RGB | rgb(216, 191, 216) |
| HSL | hsl(300, 24%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(83.3% 0.044 326) |
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 #D8BFD8 | 1.69:1 | Fails | Lc -34.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #D8BFD8 | 12.36:1 | AAA | Lc 73.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #D8BFD8 text on white | 1.69:1 | Fails | Lc 30.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #D8BFD8 text on black | 12.36:1 | AAA | Lc -72.5 | Content text, not long reading |
Shades and tints of Thistle
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 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F8F4F8
oklch(97.1% 0.007 325.6)
-
Step 100
100
#EEE7EE
oklch(93.5% 0.012 325.7)
-
Step 200
200
#E2D4E2
oklch(88.5% 0.024 325.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#D8BFD8
oklch(83.3% 0.044 326)
-
Step 400
400
#B892B8
oklch(70.7% 0.069 326.3)
-
Step 500
500
#A676A7
oklch(63.1% 0.091 325.9)
-
Step 600
600
#915E92
oklch(55.6% 0.098 326.1)
-
Step 700
700
#7B4E7C
oklch(49.2% 0.09 326.1)
-
Step 800
800
#644065
oklch(42.7% 0.075 325.9)
-
Step 900
900
#523652
oklch(37.7% 0.059 326.7)
-
Step 950
950
#302030
oklch(27% 0.037 326.5)
Thistle 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) | #BEC5D9 | 0.038 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #C3C8D7 | 0.036 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #DAC1C7 | 0.026 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C7C7C7 | 0.044 |
Use Thistle 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.