Color #855CA9 Color / Colour Code #855CA9
This page shows the hex color code for color #855ca9 (#855CA9). The colour is a purple tone with 31% saturation and 51% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #855CA9 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#855CA9 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 242, 272, and 302 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 272, 32, and 152 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #855CA9
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 272 and saturation at 31%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 272 to 317 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 272 with its complement at 92 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 #855CA9
Lightness variations at hue 272 and 31% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #855CA9
Design Use Cases for #855CA9
Balanced UI Color
At 31% saturation, #855CA9 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.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 51% lightness, #855CA9 has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#855CA9 falls in the purple spectrum (hue 272). 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 #855CA9 (hue 272) to its complement at hue 92. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 302. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #855ca9, #7fa95b);
CSS Code for #855CA9
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #855CA9 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #855CA9 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #855CA9 (#855CA9)
#855CA9 is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 133 red, 92 green, and 169 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 272 degrees with 31% saturation and 51% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #855CA9 is 113/255 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 21% cyan, 46% magenta, 0% yellow, and 34% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #855CA9 against white is 5.12:1 and against black is 4.10:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 36% lightness.
The complementary colour #7FA95B creates maximum visual tension when paired with #855CA9. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #5E5BA9 and #A95BA6, 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 #855CA9
- 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 #855CA9?
- #855CA9 is Color #855CA9, a purple color (colour) with RGB(133, 92, 169), HSL(272, 31%, 51%), and CMYK(21%, 46%, 0%, 34%). Its perceived brightness is 113/255.
- Is #855CA9 accessible for text?
- Against white, #855CA9 has a contrast ratio of 5.12:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.10:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #855CA9?
- The complementary colour is #7FA95B (hue 92). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #5E5BA9 and #A95BA6. The triadic palette adds #A9855B and #5BA985 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #855CA9 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #855ca9; or rgb(133, 92, 169); or hsl(272, 31%, 51%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 272 31% 51%; 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.