What color is #51178B?

#51178B is a dark, vivid violet. In RGB it is rgb(81, 23, 139), and in HSL hsl(270, 72%, 32%).

Is #51178B accessible as text?

On white, #51178B has a contrast ratio of 11.38:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.85:1 (fails). For text placed on #51178B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #51178B?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is purple-900 (#59168B).

What colors go well with #51178B?

#51178B pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #528C17. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #51178B below.

Is #51178B good for buttons?

#51178B works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #51178B — black text only reaches 1.85:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #51178B the same as CSS indigo?

No — #51178B is not the CSS named color indigo, but indigo (#4B0082) is the closest CSS named color.

#51178B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #51178B

Not just a swatch — here's how #51178B works with other colors. Named schemes with #51178B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #51178B Anchor #141210 Accent #DA9855 Secondary #2A2731 Surface #F3ECE3

Indigo carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #51178B Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DA Accent #380046

Indigo adds the colour to this moody editorial scheme — charcoal and a mid-grey around it, a bone highlight, and a muted jewel accent drawn from Indigo.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #51178B Accent #A5C4C4 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #23334B

Indigo opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #51178B Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C2140 Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

Indigo sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #51178B Secondary #6C5E84 Support #9C9088 Ink #18140F

Indigo is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Indigo carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #51178B actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 33/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 27/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 66/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 64/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 67/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 62/100

High

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 16/100

Very low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 78/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #51178B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #51178B with

Klein Blue Dark Magenta Avocado Gainsboro Onyx

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 11.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DCCAEE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #79178C — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #51178B at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #51178B;
  --color-base-rgb: 81 23 139;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(37.0% 0.174 300.2);
  --color-50: #F7F1FD;
  --color-100: #EBDBFA;
  --color-200: #D6B9F3;
  --color-300: #B889E6;
  --color-400: #995DD5;
  --color-500: #7A3BBA;
  --color-600: #61348E;
  --color-700: #472A64;
  --color-800: #301F42;
  --color-900: #1F1528;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  indigo: {
    50: '#F7F1FD',
    100: '#EBDBFA',
    200: '#D6B9F3',
    300: '#B889E6',
    400: '#995DD5',
    500: '#7A3BBA',
    600: '#61348E',
    700: '#472A64',
    800: '#301F42',
    900: '#1F1528',
  },
}

$base: #51178B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F1FD;
$base-100: #EBDBFA;
$base-200: #D6B9F3;
$base-300: #B889E6;
$base-400: #995DD5;
$base-500: #7A3BBA;
$base-600: #61348E;
$base-700: #472A64;
$base-800: #301F42;
$base-900: #1F1528;
$base-hover: #411270;
$base-subtle: #CBAFE7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#51178B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F1FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBDBFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D6B9F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B889E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#995DD5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7A3BBA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#61348E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#472A64",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#301F42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1F1528",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #51178B

Color Lab

Pairs with #51178B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export