Color #552B4E Color / Colour Code #552B4E
This page shows the hex color code for color #552b4e (#552B4E). The colour is a purple tone with 33% saturation and 25% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #552B4E against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#552B4E paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 280, 310, and 340 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 310, 70, and 190 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #552B4E
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 310 and saturation at 33%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 310 to 355 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 310 with its complement at 130 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #552B4E
Lightness variations at hue 310 and 33% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #552B4E
Design Use Cases for #552B4E
Balanced UI Color
At 33% saturation, #552B4E strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Deep Accent & Text Color
#552B4E at 25% lightness is dark enough for readable body text on light backgrounds while retaining its purple character. Use for headings, emphasized text, or deep accent borders. It provides contrast without the harshness of pure black.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#552B4E falls in the purple spectrum (hue 310). Purple communicates creativity, wisdom, and luxury. It is effective for premium product highlights, creative portfolio accents, meditation app interfaces, and rewards program branding. Purple occupies a unique space between the energy of red and the calm of blue.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #552B4E (hue 310) to its complement at hue 130. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 340. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #552b4e, #2b5532);
CSS Code for #552B4E
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #552B4E based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #552B4E across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #552B4E (#552B4E)
#552B4E is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 85 red, 43 green, and 78 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 310 degrees with 33% saturation and 25% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #552B4E is 60/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 49% magenta, 8% yellow, and 67% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #552B4E against white is 11.40:1 and against black is 1.84:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #2B5532 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #552B4E. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #472B55 and #552B39, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #552B4E
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #552B4E?
- #552B4E is Color #552B4E, a purple color (colour) with RGB(85, 43, 78), HSL(310, 33%, 25%), and CMYK(0%, 49%, 8%, 67%). Its perceived brightness is 60/255.
- Is #552B4E accessible for text?
- Against white, #552B4E has a contrast ratio of 11.40:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.84:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #552B4E?
- The complementary colour is #2B5532 (hue 130). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #472B55 and #552B39. The triadic palette adds #4E552B and #2B4E55 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #552B4E in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #552b4e; or rgb(85, 43, 78); or hsl(310, 33%, 25%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 310 33% 25%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.