Mauve Color
Mauve is a pink color with hex code #AE7181. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with mauve, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Mauve Color Values
What Does Mauve Mean?
Mauve belongs to the pink family of colors. Pinks are red with the volume turned down. Soft ones read as gentle and personal; hot ones shout happily. Beauty packaging owns the pastel end, youth brands own the neon end, and dusty millennial pink had its entire decade. Mauve sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Mauve is classified as a pink (nearest centroid: dark purplish pink, #C17E91). It is also known as Shade Of Mauve.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Mauve
Mauve and #71AD9D are complements, parked opposite each other on the wheel. Together they hit maximum contrast, so a rough 70/30 split keeps the pairing from shouting.
Analogous neighbors — #AD719F and #AD7F71, which sit beside mauve on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair mauve with triadic partners #81AD71 and #7181AD. All three sit evenly spaced around the wheel, so the scheme stays lively without clashing.
Build and test these combinations in our Color Wheel Tool or check text readability with the Contrast Checker.
Tints and Shades
Tints (lighter)
Shades (darker)
Similar Colors
- Turkish Rose —
#B57281(Delta E 3) - Old Pink —
#C77986(Delta E 9) - Old Rose —
#C87F89(Delta E 9) - Coral Tree —
#A86B6B(Delta E 10) - Dusty Rose —
#C0737A(Delta E 10)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #AE7181; }
.background { background-color: #AE7181; }
.border { border: 2px solid #AE7181; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #AE718140; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for mauve?
Mauve has the hex code #AE7181. In RGB notation it is rgb(174, 113, 129), in HSL it is hsl(344, 27%, 56%), and its OKLCH value is 0.617, 0.08, 2.6.
What does the color mauve mean?
Pink-family colors like mauve carry distinct psychological associations. Mauve belongs to the pink family of colors. Pinks are red with the volume turned down. Soft ones read as gentle and personal; hot ones shout happily. Beauty packaging owns the pastel end, youth brands own the neon end, and dusty millennial pink had its entire decade. Mauve sits at a mid-lightness, which keeps it readable on both white and black without much fuss.
What colors go with mauve?
Mauve has three easy routes: its complement #71AD9D for punch, its neighbors #AD719F and #AD7F71 for something calmer, or triadic partners #81AD71 and #7181AD when you want energy.
Is mauve a standard web color?
No — Mauve is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #AE7181 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make mauve lighter or darker?
To lighten mauve, add white to create tints; to darken it, add black to create shades. The tints and shades table above shows five computed steps of each, from #F2E8EB (lightest tint) to #1D1114 (darkest shade).
About Mauve
Mauve is classified as a Pink in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Pink hue family. It has alternative names including Shade Of Mauve. The color is recognized by XKCD, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #AE7181 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.