purple

Coated (C)

Pantone 256 C

#D6BCE3 · rgb(214, 188, 227)

HEX

#D6BCE3

RGB

rgb(214, 188, 227)

CMYK

cmyk(6%, 17%, 0%, 11%)

HSL

hsl(280, 41%, 81%)

LAB

lab(79.5, 16.3, -16.0)

What is Pantone 256 C?

Pantone 256 C is a Coated (C) PMS reference in the purple family. Its current screen approximation on PantoneTools is #D6BCE3, rgb(214, 188, 227), and cmyk(6%, 17%, 0%, 11%). Use it when you need a quick Pantone to HEX, Pantone to RGB, or Pantone to CMYK lookup for brand exploration, UI palettes, and print handoff conversations. For accessibility, this page tests Pantone 256 C as a background and currently recommends black text as the safer default before final contrast review. The tints, shades, complementary palette, and developer exports are generated from the same sRGB value so teams can keep web tokens and design notes aligned. These digital values are approximations rather than licensed Pantone specifications; confirm production-critical color with a current physical guide, D50 lighting, and a printer proof.

Workflow context for Pantone 256 C

Purple coated production notes

Because this is a coated-paper reference, use it for glossy stock, laminated labels, premium cartons, and spot-color conversations where ink sits on a less absorbent surface. Do not assume the same visual result on kraft, recycled, or uncoated paper without a separate proof. Purple is sensitive to blue-red balance, monitor gamut, and print profile. Use ΔE review and physical proofs before treating a screen match as production-ready.

Use Pantone 256 C as a digital reference first, then confirm production work against a physical guide or approved proof.
Record the approved coated value separately from CMYK, HEX, RGB, and design-token fallbacks.
For UI or web use, pair this color with black text only after checking the actual contrast ratio in context.
When sending to a vendor, include the expected substrate, lighting condition, and approval owner instead of only sending a HEX value.

Use this color with

Brand consistency systemsDocument Pantone, CMYK, HEX, RGB, and tolerance rules together.Accessibility workflowReview whether black text is acceptable for real UI use.Coated vs uncoatedUnderstand why the same PMS number changes across paper finish.

Data provenance

Curated community sRGB approximations

Hand-curated approximate sRGB visual equivalents for screen preview and matching workflows. This is not an official Pantone licensed value source. Use for educational lookup, digital previews, nearest-color matching, accessibility checks, and workflow planning. Confirm production color against physical guides, licensed values, or printer proofs.

Source type: community-reference
Confidence: low
Last reviewed: 2026-05-23

Scale metadata

These fields are used by the scale audit before any larger color-directory expansion. They are intentionally conservative because current values are approximate screen references.

purple

coated

screen-reference

pantone-approximation

proof-required

Purples and violets are sensitive to RGB-to-CMYK conversion and should be proofed before replacing spot colors with process builds.

Tints, Shades & Scale

A balanced 11-step scale derived from Pantone 256 C for design system use.

Complementary Palette

Quick palette of tint, base, shade, and complement for layout exploration.

#E6D7EE

#D6BCE3

#807188

#29431C

Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Pantone 256 C as a background.

Black text on this color

Sample text · 12.16 : 1

AA Normal

AA Large

AAA Normal

AAA Large

White text on this color

Sample text · 1.73 : 1

AA Normal

AA Large

AAA Normal

AAA Large

Similar Pantone Colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantones to Pantone 256 C (same finish).

Copied #E5C8E5

Pantone 250 C · ΔE 4.42

#E5C8E5

Copied #C6A5D3

Pantone 257 C · ΔE 6.00

#C6A5D3

Copied #D7A9E3

Pantone 529 C · ΔE 6.49

#D7A9E3

Copied #ECB3CB

Pantone 203 C · ΔE 9.66

#ECB3CB

Copied #ECB3CB

Pantone 217 C · ΔE 9.66

#ECB3CB

Copied #DD9CDF

Pantone 251 C · ΔE 10.13

#DD9CDF

Similar RAL Colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references to Pantone 256 C. RAL approximations are not interchangeable with Pantone spot colors; use as a cross-reference for industrial coatings and powder coat workflows.

Copied #D7D7D7

RAL 7035

#D7D7D7

Light grey

Copied #D7D7D7

RAL 9018

#D7D7D7

Papyrus white

Copied #A18594

RAL 4009

#A18594

Pastel violet

Copied #9DA1AA

RAL 7040

#9DA1AA

Window grey

Copied #A5A5A5

RAL 9006

#A5A5A5

White aluminium

Copied #EA899A

RAL 3015

#EA899A

Light pink

Developer Exports

CSS Variables

:root {
  --p-256-c: #D6BCE3;
  --p-256-c-rgb: 214 188 227;
  --p-256-c-hsl: 280 41% 81%;
}

Tailwind Scale

// tailwind.config.ts
export default {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        p-256-c: {
          DEFAULT: "#D6BCE3",
          50: "#FCFAFD",
          100: "#F8F4FB",
          200: "#F2EAF6",
          300: "#EBDEF1",
          400: "#E0CDEA",
          500: "#D6BCE3",
          600: "#B6A0C1",
          700: "#8B7A94",
          800: "#605566",
          900: "#362F39",
          950: "#1A171B",
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

Design Token JSON

{
  "name": "Pantone 256 C",
  "hex": "#D6BCE3",
  "rgb": {
    "r": 214,
    "g": 188,
    "b": 227
  },
  "cmyk": {
    "c": 6,
    "m": 17,
    "y": 0,
    "k": 11
  },
  "hsl": {
    "h": 280,
    "s": 41,
    "l": 81
  },
  "lab": {
    "l": 79.51,
    "a": 16.25,
    "b": -16.03
  },
  "pantone": {
    "code": "Pantone 256 C",
    "finish": "coated",
    "family": "purple"
  }
}

Convert Pantone 256 C

Pantone → HEX Pantone → RGB Pantone → CMYK Pantone → LAB Pantone → RAL Browse all colors