What color is #996EA1?

#996EA1 is a medium, muted purple. In RGB it is rgb(153, 110, 161), and in HSL hsl(291, 21%, 53%).

Is #996EA1 accessible as text?

On white, #996EA1 has a contrast ratio of 4.12:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.10:1 (passes). For text placed on #996EA1, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #996EA1?

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

What colors go well with #996EA1?

#996EA1 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #76A06E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #996EA1 below.

Is #996EA1 good for buttons?

#996EA1 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #996EA1 — white text only reaches 4.12:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #996EA1 the same as CSS slategray?

No — #996EA1 is not the CSS named color slategray, but slategray (#708090) 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.

#996EA1 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #996EA1

Not just a swatch — here's how #996EA1 works with other colors. Named schemes with #996EA1 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #996EA1 Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5D203E Accent #E5C2C6 Secondary #332B2E

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #996EA1 Secondary #7E472F Surface #ECD8C1 Accent #345249 Anchor #592235

Amethyst 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 #996EA1 Anchor #3B2922 Surface #F2E2D1 Accent #9E9362 Secondary #3C3733

Amethyst 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #996EA1 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

Amethyst 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 #F8F4EF Accent #996EA1 Secondary #B4A5B7 Support #9C9087 Ink #18140F

Amethyst 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 Amethyst carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #996EA1 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 51/100

Neutral

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

Softness 52/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

Low

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

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 74/100

High

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

Luxury 47/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 24/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 83/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 35/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 90/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #996EA1

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #996EA1 with

Cool Gray Rose Gold Moss Green Gainsboro Eggplant

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 #EAE3EB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #A06E97 — 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 #996EA1 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: #996EA1;
  --color-base-rgb: 153 110 161;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.0% 0.090 321.1);
  --color-50: #F9F6F9;
  --color-100: #EEE6EF;
  --color-200: #DCCEDF;
  --color-300: #C1AAC5;
  --color-400: #A588AA;
  --color-500: #87688D;
  --color-600: #6A546E;
  --color-700: #4D3F50;
  --color-800: #342B35;
  --color-900: #211C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  amethyst: {
    50: '#F9F6F9',
    100: '#EEE6EF',
    200: '#DCCEDF',
    300: '#C1AAC5',
    400: '#A588AA',
    500: '#87688D',
    600: '#6A546E',
    700: '#4D3F50',
    800: '#342B35',
    900: '#211C21',
  },
}

$base: #996EA1;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F9F6F9;
$base-100: #EEE6EF;
$base-200: #DCCEDF;
$base-300: #C1AAC5;
$base-400: #A588AA;
$base-500: #87688D;
$base-600: #6A546E;
$base-700: #4D3F50;
$base-800: #342B35;
$base-900: #211C21;
$base-hover: #7C5583;
$base-subtle: #DFD5E1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#996EA1",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EEE6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DCCEDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C1AAC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A588AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#87688D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6A546E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4D3F50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#342B35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}