Thistle

#b4a1b3

Hex, rgb, cmyk and Pantone values for thistle, with shades, tints, matching colors and free print quality patterns.

This is Thistle, a grey pink at 303 degrees. Pinks like this read soft and contemporary. It works with sage and olive for balance, or with cream for a gentle palette.

Thistle color values

Every conversion for #b4a1b3, ready to copy. Hex, rgb, hsl, hsv, cmyk, cie-lab, xyz, decimal, web safe and the nearest Pantone.

Hex#b4a1b3

RGB180, 161, 179

HSL303, 11%, 67%

HSV303, 11%, 71%

CMYK0%, 11%, 1%, 29%

Lab68.35, 10.19, -6.76

XYZ39.7, 38.45, 47.98

Decimal11837875

Web safe#cc99cc

Pantone5295 C

Shades of thistle

#a690a5 #987e97 #8a6e88 #796077 #675266 #564555 #453744 #342933 #221b22 #110e11

Tints of thistle

#bba9ba #c1b2c1 #c8bac7 #cfc3ce #d6cbd5 #dcd3dc #e3dce3 #eae4e9 #f0edf0 #f7f5f7

Colors that go with thistle

Complementary#a1b4a2 Analogous#aca1b4 Analogous#b4a1aa Triadic#b3b4a1 Triadic#a1b3b4 Split complementary#aab4a1 Split complementary#a1b4ac

Thistle in print

It converts to cmyk cleanly and holds its character from screen to paper. The cmyk build is 0, 11, 1, 29.

The same color needs a different cmyk build depending on the paper. Here is #b4a1b3 on both.

Coated stockgloss or silk, C

0 11 1 29

Ink sits on the surface, so colors stay bright and close to screen.

Uncoated stocknatural or matte, U

4 14 5 35

The stock absorbs ink and gains dot, so it needs a heavier build and reads a touch softer.

This color converts to cmyk comfortably and should hold on press.

See how it converts in the rgb to cmyk converter, or readrgb vs cmyk for print andwhat the k in cmyk means.

Thistle in css

Copy #b4a1b3 straight into your stylesheet.

.background { background-color: #b4a1b3; }
.text { color: #b4a1b3; }
.border { border: 2px solid #b4a1b3; }

How thistle looks on light and dark

Sample text on black

Sample text on white

Text on this color

Thistle and accessibility

Contrast ratios for #b4a1b3 against black and white text, measured to the WCAG standard.

Use black text on this color for readable body copy. To test #b4a1b3 against any other color, not just black and white, run the pair through ourcontrast checker for a live WCAG reading.

Thistle on a business card, sticker and pattern

A quick look at how #b4a1b3 sits on real print products. Start any of these in the maker.

Business card

Sticker

Repeat pattern

Building a full palette around thistle? Pull matching colors from any photo with thecolor palette generator, or check a design for print with thergb to cmyk converter.

Turn thistle into a seamless pattern

Four patterns built from #b4a1b3 and its shades, free at print quality. Click any one to keep editing in the pattern maker.

Arches Signature stripes Gem Shingles

Make posters, wallpaper and packaging art from thistle, free and print ready.

Open in pattern maker

How we calculate these values

Here is how the numbers for #b4a1b3 are worked out. Rgb, hsl, hsv, lab and xyz are derived through the usual sRGB conversion formulas. The uncoated cmyk build carries more ink than the coated one, which is what a printer would compensate for when the same color runs on a rougher stock. The Pantone value is the closest reference by perceptual color distance and should be treated as a starting point, not a guaranteed match.