Color #B38BD0 Color / Colour Code #B38BD0
This page shows the hex color code for color #b38bd0 (#B38BD0). The colour is a purple tone with 42% saturation and 68% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #B38BD0 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#B38BD0 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 245, 275, and 305 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 275, 35, and 155 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #B38BD0
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 275 and saturation at 42%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 275 to 320 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 275 with its complement at 95 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 #B38BD0
Lightness variations at hue 275 and 42% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #B38BD0
Design Use Cases for #B38BD0
Balanced UI Color
At 42% saturation, #B38BD0 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 68% lightness, #B38BD0 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
#B38BD0 falls in the purple spectrum (hue 275). 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 #B38BD0 (hue 275) to its complement at hue 95. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 305. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b38bd0, #a8d08b);
CSS Code for #B38BD0
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #B38BD0 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #B38BD0 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #B38BD0 (#B38BD0)
#B38BD0 is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 179 red, 139 green, and 208 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 275 degrees with 42% saturation and 68% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #B38BD0 is 159/255 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 14% cyan, 33% magenta, 0% yellow, and 18% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #B38BD0 against white is 2.79:1 and against black is 7.52:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 7.52:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #A8D08B creates maximum visual tension when paired with #B38BD0. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #918BD0 and #D08BCA, 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 #B38BD0
- 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 #B38BD0?
- #B38BD0 is Color #B38BD0, a purple color (colour) with RGB(179, 139, 208), HSL(275, 42%, 68%), and CMYK(14%, 33%, 0%, 18%). Its perceived brightness is 159/255.
- Is #B38BD0 accessible for text?
- Against white, #B38BD0 has a contrast ratio of 2.79:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 7.52:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #B38BD0?
- The complementary colour is #A8D08B (hue 95). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #918BD0 and #D08BCA. The triadic palette adds #D0B38B and #8BD0B3 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #B38BD0 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #b38bd0; or rgb(179, 139, 208); or hsl(275, 42%, 68%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 275 42% 68%; 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.