Tailwind CSS v3 color

Tailwind violet-500 #8B5CF6

Tailwind CSS v3's violet-500 is #8B5CF6. It is a vivid violet in the violet family. In OKLCH it sits at lightness 0.606, chroma 0.219 and hue 292.7°. The nearest CSS named color is mediumslateblue (#7B68EE), ΔE2000 4.2 away.

Relative luminance
0.1980
OKLCH L · C · h
0.606 · 0.219 · 292.7
Best text
Black 4.95:1
Hue family
Violet
Inspect this color Check contrast

#8B5CF6 color codes

HEX
#8B5CF6
RGB
rgb(139, 92, 246)
HSL
hsl(258, 90%, 66%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.606 0.219 292.7)
OKLab
oklab(0.606 0.085 -0.202)
CIELAB (D65)
L* 51.61, a* 53.16, b* -70.68
XYZ (D65)
X 31.10, Y 19.80, Z 89.35
CMYK (naive)
cmyk(43%, 63%, 0%, 4%)

CIELAB and XYZ use the D65 white point; CSS lab() uses D50, so paste the OKLCH or HEX value into stylesheets. CMYK here is a plain formula with no press profile.

Legibility

Contrast: is #8B5CF6 accessible?

Black text on it reaches 4.95:1, passing AA. White text manages only 4.23:1, enough for large text only.

WCAG 2 gives the same ratio whichever color is the text; APCA does not, so its Lc changes sign and size with polarity.

Open the Contrast System

  • Black text on it

    4.95:1

    • AA passes
    • AA large passes
    • AAA fails
    • APCA Lc +35

  • White text on it

    4.23:1

    • AA fails
    • AA large passes
    • AAA fails
    • APCA Lc −74

  • As text on black

    4.95:1

    • AA passes
    • AA large passes
    • AAA fails
    • APCA Lc −32

  • As text on white

    4.23:1

    • AA fails
    • AA large passes
    • AAA fails
    • APCA Lc +68

Nearest versions that pass 4.5:1

  • For text on white

    #8757F1 4.50:1

    Darkening its OKLCH lightness from 0.61 to 0.59 reaches 4.50:1 on white, keeping the hue.

    Compare both in the Contrast System

  • For text on black

    #8B5CF6 4.95:1

    It already reaches 4.95:1 on black, so no change is needed.

Checking another pair? Use the Contrast Checker.

Studio

Adjust #8B5CF6 live

Move lightness, chroma and hue in OKLCH, or drag on the map. The map is every lightness and chroma at the current hue: sRGB inside the solid area, Display P3 out to the dashed line.

The studio needs JavaScript.

Scale

Shades and tints of #8B5CF6

Eleven OKLCH lightness steps at this hue, each with its contrast against white and black. #8B5CF6 sits at step 500.

  1. 50#F5F3FF
    White
    1.09
    Black
    19.14
  2. 100#EBE8FF
    White
    1.19
    Black
    17.51
  3. 200#D8D0FF
    White
    1.45
    Black
    14.38
  4. 300#C0B0FF
    White
    1.92
    Black
    10.89
  5. 400#A68AFF
    White
    2.72
    Black
    7.70
  6. 500This color#8B5CF6
    White
    4.23
    Black
    4.95
  7. 600#7846DE
    White
    5.63
    Black
    3.72
  8. 700#622CC0
    White
    7.95
    Black
    2.64
  9. 800#4A069D
    White
    11.64
    Black
    1.80
  10. 900#31006C
    White
    15.58
    Black
    1.34
  11. 950#1B0043
    White
    18.62
    Black
    1.12

Under each step, white and black text on it; a bold figure passes 4.5:1.

Tailwind CSS v3 violet scale

The real Tailwind palette, for comparison with the computed ramp above.

  1. 50#F5F3FF
    White
    1.09
    Black
    19.14
  2. 100#EDE9FE
    White
    1.18
    Black
    17.68
  3. 200#DDD6FE
    White
    1.38
    Black
    15.12
  4. 300#C4B5FD
    White
    1.84
    Black
    11.37
  5. 400#A78BFA
    White
    2.72
    Black
    7.71
  6. 500This color#8B5CF6
    White
    4.23
    Black
    4.95
  7. 600#7C3AED
    White
    5.69
    Black
    3.68
  8. 700#6D28D9
    White
    7.10
    Black
    2.95
  9. 800#5B21B6
    White
    8.98
    Black
    2.33
  10. 900#4C1D95
    White
    10.95
    Black
    1.91
  11. 950#2E1065
    White
    15.23
    Black
    1.37

Gamut

How vivid #8B5CF6 can get

At its lightness and hue, sRGB reaches OKLCH chroma 0.237; #8B5CF6 uses 93% of it. Display P3, which many recent phones and laptops show, reaches 0.255 there: 8% more.

0.00.20.40.60.80.20.40.60.8 460480500520540560580600620
  • sRGB
  • Display P3
  • Rec. 2020
  • Dominant wavelength
OKLCH chroma
0.219
sRGB edge
0.237
Display P3 edge
0.255
Rec. 2020 edge
0.259
Dominant wavelength
446 nm
Excitation purity
60%
Chromaticity
x 0.2218, y 0.1411
  • This color#8B5CF6
  • Most vivid in sRGB#8C56FF
  • Most vivid in Display P3oklch(0.606 0.255 292.7)

On a screen without Display P3 the last tile shows the sRGB edge instead.

Use the wider color where screens show it
.accent {
  color: #8b5cf6;
}
@media (color-gamut: p3) {
  .accent { color: color(display-p3 0.5239 0.3215 1); }
}

Mixing

Mixing #8B5CF6

Each row is the same mix worked out in a different space, with the halfway color at its end. sRGB, which older CSS gradients use, can sag gray or dark in the middle; OKLab keeps the lightness steps even; OKLCH holds chroma and hue as it goes.

White #FFFFFF

  • sRGB50%#C5AEFB
  • OKLab50%#C1B1FF
  • OKLCH50%#C1B2FF

Black #000000

  • sRGB50%#462E7B
  • OKLab50%#321F5F
  • OKLCH50%#321F5F

Its complement #838900

  • sRGB50%#87737B
  • OKLab50%#827D99
  • OKLCH50%#00939D
In CSS
/* A gradient and a mix, worked out in OKLCH */
background: linear-gradient(in oklch, #8b5cf6, white);
color: color-mix(in oklch, #8b5cf6 50%, white);

In use

#8B5CF6 in an interface

A button, a link, a heading, a focused field, an icon and a chart line in this color, on a light page and a dark one. Each check is a WCAG 2 contrast minimum: 1.4.3 for text, 1.4.11 for the rest.

Light page

  • Button labelText, 4.5:14.95:1 Passes
  • Link and body-size textText, 4.5:14.23:1 Fails
  • Large headingLarge text, 3:14.23:1 Passes
  • Icons, borders and focus ringsNon-text, 3:14.23:1 Passes

For text on this page, the nearest shade that passes is #8757F1 4.50:1

Dark page

  • Button labelText, 4.5:14.95:1 Passes
  • Link and body-size textText, 4.5:14.42:1 Fails
  • Large headingLarge text, 3:14.42:1 Passes
  • Icons, borders and focus ringsNon-text, 3:14.42:1 Passes

For text on this page, the nearest shade that passes is #8C5EF8 4.52:1

Color vision

How #8B5CF6 looks with color blindness

Achromatopsia changes it most, ΔE2000 29.6; tritanopia changes it least, 15.9.

Simulated with Machado et al. (2009) at full severity, in linear light.

Simulate a whole page What each type sees

  • Protanopia

    No working red (long-wavelength) cones

    #007DFB ΔE2000 19.2

    Distinct

    Reads as vivid blue

  • Deuteranopia

    No working green (medium-wavelength) cones

    #0078F3 ΔE2000 18.6

    Distinct

    Reads as vivid blue

  • Tritanopia

    No working blue (short-wavelength) cones

    #6C80A1 ΔE2000 15.9

    Distinct

    Reads as muted blue

  • Achromatopsia

    No cone color vision; lightness only

    #7B7B7B ΔE2000 29.6

    Distinct

    Reads as gray

Pairing check

Checked against its complement, #838900. Their lightness contrast is only 1.11:1, so where hue collapses, add a label, icon or pattern.

VisionThe pairΔE2000Verdict
Normal vision#8B5CF6 · #83890074.0Stays distinct
Protanopia#007DFB · #94820061.5Stays distinct
Deuteranopia#0078F3 · #95841660.6Stays distinct
Tritanopia#6C80A1 · #8D807421.0Stays distinct
Achromatopsia#7B7B7B · #8383833.1Easily confused

Harmony

Color harmonies for #8B5CF6

Its complement is #838900, a soft yellow.

Hue rotations in OKLCH, mapped into sRGB by trimming chroma so hue and lightness stay put.

Open the Harmony Studio
  • Base#8B5CF6
  • Complement#838900

Complementary

Open in Harmony Studio
  • −30°#3677FF
  • Base#8B5CF6
  • +30°#BC45CC

Analogous

Open in Harmony Studio
  • Base#8B5CF6
  • +120°#C76200
  • +240°#00987B

Triadic

Open in Harmony Studio
  • Base#8B5CF6
  • +150°#A67900
  • +210°#009E07

Split-complementary

Open in Harmony Studio

Code

Design tokens

Ready-to-paste tokens in six formats. Rename them to fit your system.

CSS custom property

:root {
  --color-violet-500: #8b5cf6;
}

Tailwind config

// tailwind.config.js — already built in as violet-500;
// pin the v3 value explicitly like this:
module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        violet: { 500: '#8b5cf6' },
      },
    },
  },
};

Tailwind v4 theme

/* app.css — Tailwind CSS v4 */
@import "tailwindcss";

@theme {
  /* v4 has its own violet-500; this pins the v3 value. */
  --color-violet-500: oklch(0.606 0.219 292.7);
}

Design token (W3C DTCG)

{
  "color": {
    "violet-500": {
      "$type": "color",
      "$value": {
        "colorSpace": "srgb",
        "components": [0.5451, 0.3608, 0.9647],
        "hex": "#8b5cf6"
      },
      "$description": "Tailwind CSS v3 violet-500"
    }
  }
}

SwiftUI color

import SwiftUI

enum Palette {
    static let violet500 = Color(.sRGB, red: 0.545, green: 0.361, blue: 0.965, opacity: 1)
}

Jetpack Compose color

import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color

object Palette {
    val Violet500 = Color(0xFF8B5CF6)
}

Matches

The nearest match in each system

The closest CSS name, Tailwind shade, RAL Classic paint and Crayola crayon by ΔE2000; under 2 is hard to tell apart side by side. RAL and Crayola values approximate physical colors.

Neighbors

The eight nearest colors on this site by ΔE2000, closest first. Under 2 is hard to tell apart side by side.

Tools

Open #8B5CF6 in the tools

Each opens over this page. More colors live in the Color Library, and every color page is listed on the hub.