What color is #856ECF?

#856ECF is a light, soft indigo. In RGB it is rgb(133, 110, 207), and in HSL hsl(254, 50%, 62%).

Is #856ECF accessible as text?

On white, #856ECF has a contrast ratio of 4.09:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.13:1 (passes). For text placed on #856ECF, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #856ECF?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-400 (#7C86FF).

What colors go well with #856ECF?

#856ECF pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B8CF6E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #856ECF below.

Is #856ECF good for buttons?

#856ECF works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #856ECF — white text only reaches 4.09:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #856ECF the same as CSS mediumpurple?

No — #856ECF is not the CSS named color mediumpurple, but mediumpurple (#9370DB) 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.

#856ECF Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #856ECF

Not just a swatch — here's how #856ECF works with other colors. Named schemes with #856ECF in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #856ECF Surface #F5E5D7 Anchor #5C2141 Accent #E5C2C8 Secondary #332B2F

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #856ECF Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #856ECF Secondary #7E4632 Surface #EDD8C2 Accent #355248 Anchor #582237

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

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #856ECF Anchor #3B2923 Surface #F3E1D1 Accent #749F7D Secondary #3C3734

Medium Purple 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #856ECF Secondary #ACA7CA Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Medium Purple 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 Medium Purple carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #856ECF 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 30/100

Cool

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

Softness 45/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 46/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 46/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 39/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 91/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 19/100

Very low

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

Print safety 81/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #856ECF

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #856ECF with

Iceberg Medium Orchid Pistachio Gainsboro Russian Violet

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

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

Background Pair with #141310 text at 4.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E8E5F3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #A56ECF — 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 #856ECF 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: #856ECF;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 110 207;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.4% 0.144 292.5);
  --color-50: #F5F3FC;
  --color-100: #E5E0F5;
  --color-200: #CBC2EB;
  --color-300: #A697D8;
  --color-400: #8370C2;
  --color-500: #634EA6;
  --color-600: #504280;
  --color-700: #3D335C;
  --color-800: #2A243C;
  --color-900: #1B1825;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  medium-purple: {
    50: '#F5F3FC',
    100: '#E5E0F5',
    200: '#CBC2EB',
    300: '#A697D8',
    400: '#8370C2',
    500: '#634EA6',
    600: '#504280',
    700: '#3D335C',
    800: '#2A243C',
    900: '#1B1825',
  },
}

$base: #856ECF;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F3FC;
$base-100: #E5E0F5;
$base-200: #CBC2EB;
$base-300: #A697D8;
$base-400: #8370C2;
$base-500: #634EA6;
$base-600: #504280;
$base-700: #3D335C;
$base-800: #2A243C;
$base-900: #1B1825;
$base-hover: #5D3FBE;
$base-subtle: #DCD7ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#856ECF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F3FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5E0F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CBC2EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A697D8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8370C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#634EA6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#504280",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3D335C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A243C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1825",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #856ECF

Color Lab

Pairs with #856ECF

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export