Plum Color
Plum is a pink color with hex code #DDA0DD. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with plum, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Plum Color Values
What Does Plum Mean?
Plum 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. As a lighter shade, Plum reads as airy and understated, comfortable working in backgrounds and across big surfaces.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Plum is classified as a purple (nearest centroid: brilliant purple, #D399E6). It is also known as Damson Plum.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Plum
Plum and #A1DDA1 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 — #BFA1DD and #DDA1BF, which sit beside plum on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair plum with triadic partners #DDDDA1 and #A1DDDD. 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
- Wisteria —
#CDA4DE(Delta E 7) - Light Lavendar —
#EFC0FE(Delta E 12) - Pale Purple —
#B790D4(Delta E 12) - Shocking —
#E292C0(Delta E 12) - Light Violet —
#D6B4FC(Delta E 12)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #DDA0DD; }
.background { background-color: #DDA0DD; }
.border { border: 2px solid #DDA0DD; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #DDA0DD40; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for plum?
Plum has the hex code #DDA0DD. In RGB notation it is rgb(221, 160, 221), in HSL it is hsl(300, 47%, 75%), and its OKLCH value is 0.783, 0.108, 326.5.
What does the color plum mean?
Pink-family colors like plum carry distinct psychological associations. Plum 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. As a lighter shade, Plum reads as airy and understated, comfortable working in backgrounds and across big surfaces.
What colors go with plum?
Plum has three easy routes: its complement #A1DDA1 for punch, its neighbors #BFA1DD and #DDA1BF for something calmer, or triadic partners #DDDDA1 and #A1DDDD when you want energy.
Is plum a standard web color?
Yes — Plum is part of the CSS named colors specification, so you can use it directly in CSS as #DDA0DD or with the keyword form where supported.
How do I make plum lighter or darker?
To lighten plum, 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 #FAF0FA (lightest tint) to #311231 (darkest shade).
About Plum
Plum is classified as a Purple in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Pink hue family. It has alternative names including Damson Plum. The color is recognized by CSS3, X11, meodai.
Use our Color Converter to convert #DDA0DD to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.