Color #A38BB2 Color / Colour Code #A38BB2
This page shows the hex color code for color #a38bb2 (#A38BB2). The colour is a purple tone with 20% saturation and 62% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #A38BB2 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#A38BB2 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 247, 277, and 307 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 277, 37, and 157 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #A38BB2
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 277 and saturation at 20%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 277 to 322 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 277 with its complement at 97 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 #A38BB2
Lightness variations at hue 277 and 20% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #A38BB2
Design Use Cases for #A38BB2
Muted Accent Color
With 20% saturation, #A38BB2 has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 62% lightness, #A38BB2 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
#A38BB2 falls in the purple spectrum (hue 277). 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 #A38BB2 (hue 277) to its complement at hue 97. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 307. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #a38bb2, #9ab18b);
CSS Code for #A38BB2
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #A38BB2 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #A38BB2 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #A38BB2 (#A38BB2)
#A38BB2 is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 163 red, 139 green, and 178 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 277 degrees with 20% saturation and 62% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #A38BB2 is 151/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 8% cyan, 22% magenta, 0% yellow, and 30% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #A38BB2 against white is 3.05:1 and against black is 6.89:1. This only passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. For normal body text on white, darken the color or use it on a dark background where it achieves 6.89:1.
The complementary colour #9AB18B creates maximum visual tension when paired with #A38BB2. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #8F8BB1 and #B18BAD, 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 #A38BB2
- 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 #A38BB2?
- #A38BB2 is Color #A38BB2, a purple color (colour) with RGB(163, 139, 178), HSL(277, 20%, 62%), and CMYK(8%, 22%, 0%, 30%). Its perceived brightness is 151/255.
- Is #A38BB2 accessible for text?
- Against white, #A38BB2 has a contrast ratio of 3.05:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 6.89:1 (passes AA). It passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #A38BB2?
- The complementary colour is #9AB18B (hue 97). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #8F8BB1 and #B18BAD. The triadic palette adds #B1A38B and #8BB1A3 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #A38BB2 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #a38bb2; or rgb(163, 139, 178); or hsl(277, 20%, 62%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 277 20% 62%; 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.