What color is #85517D?

#85517D is a medium, muted purple. In RGB it is rgb(133, 81, 125), and in HSL hsl(309, 24%, 42%).

Is #85517D accessible as text?

On white, #85517D has a contrast ratio of 6.05:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 3.47:1 (fails). For text placed on #85517D, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #85517D?

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

What colors go well with #85517D?

#85517D pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #518559. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #85517D below.

Is #85517D good for buttons?

#85517D works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #85517D — black text only reaches 3.47:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #85517D the same as CSS dimgray?

No — #85517D 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.

#85517D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #85517D

Not just a swatch — here's how #85517D works with other colors. Named schemes with #85517D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #85517D Anchor #3B2922 Surface #F2E2D1 Accent #9D9462 Secondary #3C3833

Plum 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 #85517D Secondary #7D472E Surface #ECD8C1 Accent #464F38 Anchor #592233

Plum 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 #85517D Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5D203D Accent #E6C2C5 Secondary #332B2E

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

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #85517D Secondary #BA6034 Accent #7E7540 Surface #F5EBDD Anchor #3C2922

This palette keeps Plum as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #85517D Secondary #9C8898 Support #9C9087 Ink #18140F

Plum 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 Plum carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #85517D 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 56/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 44/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 49/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 4/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 78/100

High

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

Luxury 55/100

Moderate

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

Brand distinctiveness 25/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 90/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 25/100

Low

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

Print safety 90/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #85517D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #85517D with

Very Peri Mauve Taupe Sea Green Gainsboro Eggplant

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 6.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E7DCE5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #85516C — 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 #85517D at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #85517D;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 81 125;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(51.0% 0.093 332.6);
  --color-50: #F9F5F9;
  --color-100: #F0E5EE;
  --color-200: #E0CCDD;
  --color-300: #C7A8C2;
  --color-400: #AD85A7;
  --color-500: #906589;
  --color-600: #70526B;
  --color-700: #513E4E;
  --color-800: #362B34;
  --color-900: #221B21;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  plum: {
    50: '#F9F5F9',
    100: '#F0E5EE',
    200: '#E0CCDD',
    300: '#C7A8C2',
    400: '#AD85A7',
    500: '#906589',
    600: '#70526B',
    700: '#513E4E',
    800: '#362B34',
    900: '#221B21',
  },
}

$base: #85517D;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F5F9;
$base-100: #F0E5EE;
$base-200: #E0CCDD;
$base-300: #C7A8C2;
$base-400: #AD85A7;
$base-500: #906589;
$base-600: #70526B;
$base-700: #513E4E;
$base-800: #362B34;
$base-900: #221B21;
$base-hover: #6A4164;
$base-subtle: #DBCBD8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#85517D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F5F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F0E5EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E0CCDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C7A8C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#AD85A7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#906589",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#70526B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#513E4E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#362B34",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#221B21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #85517D

Color Lab

Pairs with #85517D

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export