What color is #85515E?

#85515E is a medium, muted rose. In RGB it is rgb(133, 81, 94), and in HSL hsl(345, 24%, 42%).

Is #85515E accessible as text?

On white, #85515E has a contrast ratio of 6.30:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.34:1 (fails). For text placed on #85515E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #85515E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-500 (#79697B).

What colors go well with #85515E?

#85515E pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #518578. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #85515E below.

Is #85515E good for buttons?

#85515E works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #85515E — black text only reaches 3.34:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #85515E the same as CSS dimgray?

No — #85515E is not the CSS named color dimgray, but dimgray (#696969) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#85515E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #85515E

Not just a swatch — here's how #85515E works with other colors. Named schemes with #85515E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #85515E Anchor #3B2A21 Surface #F1E2D1 Accent #999563 Secondary #3C3833

Mauve Taupe anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #85515E Secondary #7C482A Surface #EBD9C1 Accent #444F39 Anchor #5A2230

Mauve Taupe plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #85515E Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5E2039 Accent #E6C2C3 Secondary #332B2E

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #85515E Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BCAEA0 Ink #2B2723

Mauve Taupe sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #85515E Secondary #9A868A Support #9B9087 Ink #17140F

Mauve Taupe 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 Mauve Taupe carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #85515E 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 65/100

Warm

Reads warm and advancing — inviting, energetic, draws the eye forward.

Softness 46/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 49/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 32/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 78/100

High

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 55/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 19/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 81/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 31/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 92/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #85515E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #85515E with

Mauve Taupe Raw Umber Viridian Gainsboro Taupe

UI roles & guardrails

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

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 6.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E7DCDF for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #855651 — 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 #85515E 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: #85515E;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 81 94;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(49.8% 0.072 3.8);
  --color-50: #F9F5F6;
  --color-100: #F0E5E8;
  --color-200: #E0CCD1;
  --color-300: #C7A8B0;
  --color-400: #AD858F;
  --color-500: #906570;
  --color-600: #705259;
  --color-700: #513E43;
  --color-800: #362B2E;
  --color-900: #221B1D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  mauve-taupe: {
    50: '#F9F5F6',
    100: '#F0E5E8',
    200: '#E0CCD1',
    300: '#C7A8B0',
    400: '#AD858F',
    500: '#906570',
    600: '#705259',
    700: '#513E43',
    800: '#362B2E',
    900: '#221B1D',
  },
}

$base: #85515E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F5F6;
$base-100: #F0E5E8;
$base-200: #E0CCD1;
$base-300: #C7A8B0;
$base-400: #AD858F;
$base-500: #906570;
$base-600: #705259;
$base-700: #513E43;
$base-800: #362B2E;
$base-900: #221B1D;
$base-hover: #6A414B;
$base-subtle: #DBCBCF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#85515E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F5F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F0E5E8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E0CCD1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C7A8B0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#AD858F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#906570",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#705259",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#513E43",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#362B2E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#221B1D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #85515E

Color Lab

Pairs with #85515E

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export