Skip to content

#856DEE Color

#856DEE is rgb(133, 109, 238) in RGB, hsl(251, 79%, 68%) in HSL, and about cmyk(44%, 54%, 0%, 7%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Medium Slate Blue (#7B68EE), very hard to tell apart at ΔE 3.96. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#856DEE
HEX#856DEE
RGBrgb(133, 109, 238)
HSLhsl(251, 79%, 68%)
HSVhsv(251, 54%, 93%)
CMYKcmyk(44%, 54%, 0%, 7%)
OKLCHoklch(62.1% 0.186 288.3)
LABlab(53.35% 33.57 -63.11)
LCHlch(53.35% 71.48 298.01)

What #856DEE 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 #856DEE, 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 blue in the library.

#856DEE Channel Values

How #856DEE 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 2388-bit channels as sent to the display
HSLH 251° · S 79% · L 68%Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSVH 251° · S 54% · V 93%Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYKC 44% · M 54% · Y 0% · K 7%Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance3.87:1 vs white · 5.42:1 vs blackWCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #856DEE 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 text3.87:1AA normal AA large AAA normal
TextBlack text5.42:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

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

Colors That Go With #856DEE

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #856DEE; 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 #856DEE

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 #856DEE.

How #856DEE 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#856DEE
Protanopia#7272EE
Protanomaly#7A70EE
Deuteranopia#7676EE
Deuteranomaly#7C72EE
Tritanopia#6A8787
Tritanomaly#767DB9
Achromatopsia#818181

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #856DEE in Code

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

CSS custom property--color-856dee: #856DEE;
CSS backgroundbackground-color: #856DEE;
Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-856dee': '#856DEE' }
SwiftUIColor(red: 0.522, green: 0.427, blue: 0.933)
Android XML<color name="color_856dee">#856DEE</color>
SVG fillfill="#856DEE"

More Blue Colors

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

#856DEE Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #856DEE?

#856DEE is a light blue — rgb(133, 109, 238) in RGB and hsl(251, 79%, 68%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Medium Slate Blue (#7B68EE), which is very hard to tell apart at a CIE76 distance of 3.96.

What is the RGB value of #856DEE?

#856DEE is rgb(133, 109, 238) — red 133, green 109, and blue 238 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #856DEE?

#856DEE converts to approximately cmyk(44%, 54%, 0%, 7%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #856DEE be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #856DEE scores 3.87:1 against white and 5.42:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

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

No. #856DEE 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 mediumslateblue (#7B68EE) at a CIE76 distance of 3.96, which is very hard to tell apart.

Open #856DEE in a Tool

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