#550B8E Color
#550B8E is rgb(85, 11, 142) in RGB, hsl(274, 86%, 30%) in HSL, and about cmyk(40%, 92%, 0%, 44%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Metallic Violet (#5B0A91), below the threshold most people can see at ΔE 2.09. White text is the more readable choice on this background.
#550B8Ergb(85, 11, 142)hsl(274, 86%, 30%)hsv(274, 92%, 56%)cmyk(40%, 92%, 0%, 44%)oklch(37% 0.186 302.4)lab(23.34% 48.14 -55.77)lch(23.34% 73.67 310.80)What #550B8E Is Called
Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #550B8E, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.
Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every purple in the library.
#550B8E Channel Values
How #550B8E breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.
| Model | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | R 85 · G 11 · B 142 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 274° · S 86% · L 30% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 274° · S 92% · V 56% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 40% · M 92% · Y 0% · K 44% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 11.51:1 vs white · 1.82:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #550B8E background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.
Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #550B8E in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #550B8E
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #550B8E; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.
Tints & Shades of #550B8E
Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.
Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #550B8E.
How #550B8E Looks with Color Vision Deficiency
Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.
#550B8E#25258E#3D1D8E#32328D#43278E#433636#4B2A65#393939Using #550B8E in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-550b8e: #550B8E;background-color: #550B8E;colors: { 'color-550b8e': '#550B8E' }Color(red: 0.333, green: 0.043, blue: 0.557)<color name="color_550b8e">#550B8E</color>fill="#550B8E"More Purple Colors
#550B8E sits in the purple family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#550B8E Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #550B8E?
#550B8E is a dark purple — rgb(85, 11, 142) in RGB and hsl(274, 86%, 30%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Metallic Violet (#5B0A91), which is below the threshold most people can see at a CIE76 distance of 2.09.
What is the RGB value of #550B8E?
#550B8E is rgb(85, 11, 142) — red 85, green 11, and blue 142 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #550B8E?
#550B8E converts to approximately cmyk(40%, 92%, 0%, 44%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #550B8E be black or white?
White text is the more readable choice. #550B8E scores 11.51:1 against white and 1.82:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #550B8E as a CSS color keyword?
No. #550B8E is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is indigo (#4B0082) at a CIE76 distance of 4.08, which is very hard to tell apart.
Open #550B8E in a Tool
Keep exploring: every purple in the color library, the guide to shades of purple, or the full color library.