What is the hex code for Purple Drab?

Purple Drab is #84565b. It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".

What does Purple Drab look like on white and black backgrounds?

Purple Drab (#84565b) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 6.06:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 3.46:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Where does the color Purple Drab come from?

Purple Drab is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued red pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.

Can I use Purple Drab in my own design or brand?

Yes. The color name and hex value (#84565b) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.

#84565b

red · 1 palette

Purple Drab

About Purple Drab

Purple Drab is a mid-tone, near-neutral red tone. Its hex value is #84565b — that is RGB 132, 86, 91, or HSL 353°, 21%, 43%.

It holds 6.1:1 contrast against white, so Purple Drab works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 6.1:1; on black 3.5:1.)

Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Purple Drab appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Khaki and Deep Lyons Blue.

Palettes with Purple Drab

Purple Drab appears in 1 combination from the archive.

Showa era

Khaki & Deep Lyons Blue +1

Plate 236 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Khaki, Deep Lyons Blue, Purple Drab.

Embed this color

Drop a Purple Drab swatch card into any blog post, design review, or color-study reference page. Links back to this color's detail.

<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/colors/purple-drab/" width="360" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Purple Drab — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

Preview

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