Mauve color guide
A dusty, greyed purple that behaves like a warm neutral. Easy to overuse into blandness.
- Best for
- Soft secondary surfaces.
Accessibility
Ratios follow WCAG 2.1. AA needs 4.5:1 for body text, AAA needs 7:1; large text passes AA at 3:1.
Colors that go with mauve
Combinations that hold up in a real layout rather than only on the colour wheel.
Mauve color harmonies
Mauve shades and tints
The same hue and saturation across ten lightness steps — the basis of a usable colour ramp in a design system.
Mauve FAQ
What is the hex code for mauve?
Mauve is #E0B0FF. In other formats that is rgb(224, 176, 255), hsl(276, 100%, 85%), and approximately cmyk(12%, 31%, 0%, 0%) for print.
What colors go with mauve?
Charcoal, Plum, Cream all pair well with mauve. Soft secondary surfaces.
Is mauve accessible for text?
Not on white: mauve reaches only 1.78:1 there, below the 4.5:1 WCAG AA threshold. Use it as a background with black text on top, or reserve it for large display type.
Should text on mauve be black or white?
Use black text. It gives the higher contrast ratio of the two against #E0B0FF.