#b397b9
a light, soft violet · neutral · closest name: Plum
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #b397b9 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Reads neutral. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Every format
| HEX | #b397b9 |
| RGB | rgb(179, 151, 185) |
| HSL | hsl(289, 20%, 66%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(3%, 18%, 0%, 28%) |
| LAB | lab(65.9 16.6 -13.7) |
| LCH | lch(65.9 21.5 320.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.713 0.058 320.3) |
| Decimal | 11769785 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.702 0.592 0.725) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #b397b9;
background-color: #b397b9;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#b397b9] bg-[#b397b9]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #b397b9;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.702, green: 0.592, blue: 0.725)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#b397b9")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFB397B9)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(185, 151, 179)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #b397b9 is pinned to step 400; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #F8F6F9;
--brand-100: #F1EDF2;
--brand-200: #E2D8E4;
--brand-300: #CEBCD2;
--brand-400: #b397b9;
--brand-500: #9D79A5;
--brand-600: #8A6392;
--brand-700: #73527A;
--brand-800: #5C4262;
--brand-900: #443248;
--brand-950: #2B1F2D;
--brand: #b397b9;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #b397b9
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
How to use #b397b9
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Charts, tags and secondary surfaces
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠White text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #9DB997 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #A297B9 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #B997AE | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #AEB997 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #97B9A2 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #B9B397 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #97B9B3 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #B9A297 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#b397b9 text on a black background
contrast 8.04:1
#b397b9 text on a white background
contrast 2.61:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #b397b9;
background-color: #b397b9;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #b397b9;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(179, 151, 185, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(179, 151, 185, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #b397b9; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b397b9, #B997A8);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #b397b9
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Lilac (#c8a2c8) — ΔE2000 4.7 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#b397b9 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
#b397b9, answered
What color is #b397b9?
#b397b9 is a light soft violet, closest to Plum (ΔE2000 9.8). It sits at 289° on the hue wheel with 20% saturation and 66% lightness, which reads as neutral.
What is the RGB value of #b397b9?
rgb(179, 151, 185) — 179 red, 151 green and 185 blue out of 255, or 70.2% / 59.2% / 72.5% by channel.
Is #b397b9 a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.3522 and perceived brightness is 64%, so black text on it reaches 8.04:1.
Should I use black or white text on #b397b9?
Black. It scores 8.04:1 against #b397b9, versus 2.61:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #b397b9?
#9DB997 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #AEB997 and #97B9A2, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #b397b9?
For interface work: #F8F6F9 as the surface, #DBCEDE for borders, #815C89 for secondary text, #627D4F as an accent and #48334C for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #A297B9 and #B997AE stays calm, while #9DB997 is the loudest partner.
What is #b397b9 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(3%, 18%, 0%, 28%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #b397b9 warm or cool?
Neutral — it scores 53 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #B997B3; nudged cooler, #A695BB.