Color #ABA6AA Color / Colour Code #ABA6AA
This page shows the hex color code for color #aba6aa (#ABA6AA). The colour is a purple tone with 3% saturation and 66% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #ABA6AA against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#ABA6AA paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 282, 312, and 342 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 312, 72, and 192 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #ABA6AA
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 312 and saturation at 3%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 312 to 357 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 312 with its complement at 132 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 #ABA6AA
Lightness variations at hue 312 and 3% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #ABA6AA
Design Use Cases for #ABA6AA
Neutral Foundation Color
#ABA6AA has almost no saturation (3%), making it an excellent neutral. Use it for page backgrounds, card surfaces, divider lines, and any element that should recede visually. Neutrals like this form the foundation of every professional design system.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 66% lightness, #ABA6AA 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
#ABA6AA falls in the purple spectrum (hue 312). 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 #ABA6AA (hue 312) to its complement at hue 132. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 342. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #aba6aa, #a6aba7);
CSS Code for #ABA6AA
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #ABA6AA based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #ABA6AA across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #ABA6AA (#ABA6AA)
#ABA6AA is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 171 red, 166 green, and 170 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 312 degrees with 3% saturation and 66% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #ABA6AA is 168/255 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 0% cyan, 3% magenta, 1% yellow, and 33% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #ABA6AA against white is 2.40:1 and against black is 8.77:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.77:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #A6ABA7 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #ABA6AA. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #A9A6AB and #ABA6A7, 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 #ABA6AA
- 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 #ABA6AA?
- #ABA6AA is Color #ABA6AA, a purple color (colour) with RGB(171, 166, 170), HSL(312, 3%, 66%), and CMYK(0%, 3%, 1%, 33%). Its perceived brightness is 168/255.
- Is #ABA6AA accessible for text?
- Against white, #ABA6AA has a contrast ratio of 2.40:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 8.77:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #ABA6AA?
- The complementary colour is #A6ABA7 (hue 132). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #A9A6AB and #ABA6A7. The triadic palette adds #AAABA6 and #A6AAAB for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #ABA6AA in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #aba6aa; or rgb(171, 166, 170); or hsl(312, 3%, 66%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 312 3% 66%; 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.