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#856DAB Color

#856DAB is rgb(133, 109, 171) in RGB, hsl(263, 27%, 55%) in HSL, and about cmyk(22%, 36%, 0%, 33%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Purple Mountain Majesty (#9678B6), clearly related but distinguishable side by side at ΔE 5.35. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#856DAB
HEX#856DAB
RGBrgb(133, 109, 171)
HSLhsl(263, 27%, 55%)
HSVhsv(263, 36%, 67%)
CMYKcmyk(22%, 36%, 0%, 33%)
OKLCHoklch(58.2% 0.096 301.3)
LABlab(50.28% 19.59 -29.88)
LCHlch(50.28% 35.73 303.25)

What #856DAB 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 #856DAB, 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.

#856DAB Channel Values

How #856DAB breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.

ModelChannelsNotes
RGBR 133 · G 109 · B 1718-bit channels as sent to the display
HSLH 263° · S 27% · L 55%Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSVH 263° · S 36% · V 67%Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYKC 22% · M 36% · Y 0% · K 33%Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance4.4:1 vs white · 4.77:1 vs blackWCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #856DAB 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.

Fails AAWhite text4.4:1AA normal AA large AAA normal
TextBlack text4.77:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #856DAB in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With #856DAB

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #856DAB; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.

Base
Complementary
Analogous
Analogous
Triadic
Triadic
Split comp.
Split comp.

Tints & Shades of #856DAB

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.

Tints

Shades

Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #856DAB.

How #856DAB 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.

Typical#856DAB
Protanopia#7272AB
Protanomaly#7A70AB
Deuteranopia#7676AB
Deuteranomaly#7C72AB
Tritanopia#7C7777
Tritanomaly#80738F
Achromatopsia#787878

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #856DAB in Code

Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.

CSS custom property--color-856dab: #856DAB;
CSS backgroundbackground-color: #856DAB;
Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-856dab': '#856DAB' }
SwiftUIColor(red: 0.522, green: 0.427, blue: 0.671)
Android XML<color name="color_856dab">#856DAB</color>
SVG fillfill="#856DAB"

More Purple Colors

#856DAB sits in the purple family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

#856DAB Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #856DAB?

#856DAB is a mid-tone purple — rgb(133, 109, 171) in RGB and hsl(263, 27%, 55%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Purple Mountain Majesty (#9678B6), which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side at a CIE76 distance of 5.35.

What is the RGB value of #856DAB?

#856DAB is rgb(133, 109, 171) — red 133, green 109, and blue 171 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #856DAB?

#856DAB converts to approximately cmyk(22%, 36%, 0%, 33%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #856DAB be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #856DAB scores 4.4:1 against white and 4.77:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #856DAB as a CSS color keyword?

No. #856DAB 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 darkslateblue (#483D8B) at a CIE76 distance of 23.84, which is visibly different.

Open #856DAB in a Tool

Keep exploring: every purple in the color library, the guide to shades of purple, or the full color library.