Color #B46BBD Color / Colour Code #B46BBD
This page shows the hex color code for color #b46bbd (#B46BBD). The colour is a purple tone with 38% saturation and 58% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #B46BBD against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#B46BBD paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 263, 293, and 323 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 293, 53, and 173 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #B46BBD
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 293 and saturation at 38%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 293 to 338 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 293 with its complement at 113 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 #B46BBD
Lightness variations at hue 293 and 38% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #B46BBD
Design Use Cases for #B46BBD
Balanced UI Color
At 38% saturation, #B46BBD 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 58% lightness, #B46BBD 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
#B46BBD falls in the purple spectrum (hue 293). 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 #B46BBD (hue 293) to its complement at hue 113. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 323. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b46bbd, #75bd6b);
CSS Code for #B46BBD
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #B46BBD based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #B46BBD across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #B46BBD (#B46BBD)
#B46BBD is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 180 red, 107 green, and 189 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 293 degrees with 38% saturation and 58% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #B46BBD is 138/255 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 5% cyan, 43% magenta, 0% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #B46BBD against white is 3.63:1 and against black is 5.78:1. 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 5.78:1.
The complementary colour #75BD6B creates maximum visual tension when paired with #B46BBD. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #8A6BBD and #BD6B9D, 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 #B46BBD
- 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 #B46BBD?
- #B46BBD is Color #B46BBD, a purple color (colour) with RGB(180, 107, 189), HSL(293, 38%, 58%), and CMYK(5%, 43%, 0%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 138/255.
- Is #B46BBD accessible for text?
- Against white, #B46BBD has a contrast ratio of 3.63:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 5.78:1 (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 #B46BBD?
- The complementary colour is #75BD6B (hue 113). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #8A6BBD and #BD6B9D. The triadic palette adds #BDB36B and #6BBDB3 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #B46BBD in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #b46bbd; or rgb(180, 107, 189); or hsl(293, 38%, 58%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 293 38% 58%; 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.