PURPLES

Crocus

#B3ABC9

RGB 179, 171, 201 · HSL 256°, 22%, 73% · CMYK 11, 15, 0, 21

Crocus is #B3ABC9 in HEX — rgb(179, 171, 201), hsl(256°, 22%, 73%), cmyk(11%, 15%, 0%, 21%).

Crocus pulls into the light end of the purples spectrum — HSL 256°, 22%, 73%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on accent walls, dressing rooms, creative studios — for character without shouting. Reads best alongside warm whites, walnut, brass, deep velvet textiles.

Color Codes

HEX#B3ABC9

RGB179, 171, 201

HSL256°, 22%, 73%

HSV256°, 15%, 79%

CMYK11, 15, 0, 21

Decimal11774921

CSS RGBrgb(179, 171, 201)

CSS HSLhsl(256, 22%, 73%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Benjamin Moore

Crocus 1404

Exact match

Valspar

Dusky Lavender 4001-7C

ΔE 0.7 · #B2AAC9

Vista Paint

Petunia Trail C-1252

ΔE 1.1 · #B6AECC

Hallman-Lindsay

Petunia Trail 1253

ΔE 1.9 · #B8B0CF

Behr

Midsummer Dream 690F-4

ΔE 1.9 · #B8ABC8

Dulux

Pixieland S44F3

ΔE 2.6 · #B3A6C6

Sherwin-Williams

Forever Lilac SW9067

ΔE 3.1 · #AFA5C7

Kilz

Silk Scarf RA220-02

ΔE 3.8 · #BEB0CA

Dunn-Edwards

Playful Purple DE5947

ΔE 5.1 · #BFB9D5

PPG

Spring Lilac 1170-4

ΔE 5.4 · #B1B3CB

Kobra

Violet 23

ΔE 7.4 · #B7B1DC

IKEA

IKEA087 87

ΔE 8.8 · #CAB6C9

Dutch Boy

Dusky Mood DCP-1318

ΔE 11.3 · #A6ACB8

Farrow & Ball

Lulworth Blue 89

ΔE 13.1 · #A1B8CA

RAL

Window Grey 7040

ΔE 13.4 · #9DA1AA

Colorhouse

Dream .03 Dream-03

ΔE 16.9 · #B4CBD9

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

43/100

Medium

0 · DarkLight · 100

Balanced reflectance — holds colour without washing out. Versatile for most rooms and the most forgiving range for true-to-chip results.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneViolet UndertoneBlue

Reads as a neutral violet with a blue undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.

Color Theory

Complementary

#B3ABC9

#C1C9AB

Analogous

#ABB2C9

#B3ABC9

#C2ABC9

Triadic

#B3ABC9

#C9B3AB

#ABC9B3

Split-Complementary

#B3ABC9

#C9C2AB

#B2C9AB

Tetradic

#B3ABC9

#C9ABB2

#C1C9AB

#ABC9C2

Monochromatic

#625686

#897CAB

#B3ABC9

#DDDAE7

#F1EFF5

Rectangle

#B3ABC9

#C9ABC1

#C1C9AB

#ABC9B3

Compound

#B3ABC9

#C2ABC9

#C1C9AB

#B2C9AB

Variations

Lighter

#C2BCD4

#D2CEDD

#E5E3EB

Darker

#897CAD

#5B4E7F

#352C4B

Saturation

#B8B6BF

#B3ABC9

#A790E4

Interior Use

Best Rooms

dressing rooms, creative studios, accent walls

Best Uses

feature walls, cabinetry, textiles

Pairs With

warm whites, walnut, brass, deep velvet textiles

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

2.19:1

Fail

vs Black

9.59:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#B3ABC9

#AAB1C9

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#B3ABC9

#ACACC5

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#B3ABC9

#B0B0AD

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Sophisticated · Imaginative

Crocus carries history — long associated with luxury and contemplation. It works in low-light, intimate rooms (dressing rooms, dens, accent walls) where its complexity gets time to unfold. Pair with brass and walnut.

SymbolismLuxury, intuition, creativity

PersonalityRefined, mysterious, artistic

luxurycreativeintuitionintimateaccentrefined

How it looks under different light

#C6ADB2

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#B3ABC9

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#B3B2D6

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EAEAEB

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F7F7F8

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#AAB686

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Regal Select Interior

Recommended Finishes

Eggshell (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Matte (ceiling)

Eggshell hides imperfections on main walls while keeping the color rich; pearl on trim adds subtle sheen and easier cleaning; flat matte on ceilings prevents glare.

Best Surfaces

Primary walls · Cabinetry · Trim · Soft furniture

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Standard primer is adequate.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #B3ABC9;

CSS — background

background-color: #B3ABC9;

CSS Variable

--color-crocus: #B3ABC9;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'crocus': '#B3ABC9' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#B3ABC9] text-[#B3ABC9]

SCSS

$crocus: #B3ABC9;

Similar Colors

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#B2AAC8 · ΔE 0.4

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#AFAFCB · ΔE 3.2

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#BDABC2 · ΔE 5.3

Heather Field

#A6A6BD · ΔE 5.5

Blue Orchid

#B8B9D2 · ΔE 6.1

Heather Plum

#BDADD5 · ΔE 6.3

Freesia

#A7B1CC · ΔE 6.6

Blue Viola

#ACB3CA · ΔE 6.9

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #B3ABC9?

#B3ABC9 is Crocus, a soft purple with a cool undertone.

Is #B3ABC9 warm or cool?

Crocus reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Crocus?

Crocus works well in dressing rooms, creative studios, accent walls. Designers typically use it for feature walls, cabinetry, textiles.

What colors pair well with Crocus?

Crocus pairs naturally with warm whites, walnut, brass, deep velvet textiles. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Crocus?

You can download Crocus on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Crocus?

The hex code is #B3ABC9. In RGB it's 179, 171, 201, and in HSL it's 256°, 22%, 73%.

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