Skip to content
PantoneTools
purple
Coated (C)

Pantone 251 C

#DD9CDF · rgb(221, 156, 223)

HEX

#DD9CDF

RGB

rgb(221, 156, 223)

CMYK

cmyk(1%, 30%, 0%, 13%)

HSL

hsl(298, 51%, 74%)

LAB

lab(72.5, 35.0, -24.3)

What is Pantone 251 C?

Pantone 251 C is a Coated (C) PMS reference in the purple family. Its current screen approximation on PantoneTools is #DD9CDF, rgb(221, 156, 223), and cmyk(1%, 30%, 0%, 13%). 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 251 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 251 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 251 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 251 C for design system use.

Complementary Palette

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

#EBC4EC

#DD9CDF

#855E86

#226320

Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 contrast checks for Pantone 251 C as a background.

Black text on this color

Sample text · 9.90 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

White text on this color

Sample text · 2.12 : 1
AA Normal
AA Large
AAA Normal
AAA Large

Similar Pantone Colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest Pantones to Pantone 251 C (same finish).

Copied #D7A9E3

Pantone 529 C · ΔE 3.97

#D7A9E3

C
Copied #C6A5D3

Pantone 257 C · ΔE 6.55

#C6A5D3

C
Copied #F590C6

Pantone 231 C · ΔE 8.41

#F590C6

C
Copied #D6BCE3

Pantone 256 C · ΔE 10.13

#D6BCE3

C
Copied #ECB3CB

Pantone 203 C · ΔE 11.79

#ECB3CB

C
Copied #ECB3CB

Pantone 217 C · ΔE 11.79

#ECB3CB

C

Similar RAL Colors

Top 6 ΔE2000-closest RAL Classic references to Pantone 251 C. RAL approximations are not interchangeable with Pantone spot colors; use as a cross-reference for industrial coatings and powder coat workflows.

Copied #EA899A

RAL 3015

#EA899A

Light pink

Copied #A18594

RAL 4009

#A18594

Pastel violet

Copied #8F999F

RAL 7001

#8F999F

Silver grey

Copied #9EA0A1

RAL 7004

#9EA0A1

Signal grey

Copied #9DA1AA

RAL 7040

#9DA1AA

Window grey

Copied #DE4C8A

RAL 4003

#DE4C8A

Heather violet

Developer Exports

CSS Variables

:root {
  --p-251-c: #DD9CDF;
  --p-251-c-rgb: 221 156 223;
  --p-251-c-hsl: 298 51% 74%;
}

Tailwind Scale

// tailwind.config.ts
export default {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        p-251-c: {
          DEFAULT: "#DD9CDF",
          50: "#FCF7FC",
          100: "#FAEFFA",
          200: "#F4DFF5",
          300: "#EECEEF",
          400: "#E6B5E7",
          500: "#DD9CDF",
          600: "#BC85BE",
          700: "#906591",
          800: "#634664",
          900: "#372738",
          950: "#1B131B",
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

Design Token JSON

{
  "name": "Pantone 251 C",
  "hex": "#DD9CDF",
  "rgb": {
    "r": 221,
    "g": 156,
    "b": 223
  },
  "cmyk": {
    "c": 1,
    "m": 30,
    "y": 0,
    "k": 13
  },
  "hsl": {
    "h": 298,
    "s": 51,
    "l": 74
  },
  "lab": {
    "l": 72.55,
    "a": 35.05,
    "b": -24.34
  },
  "pantone": {
    "code": "Pantone 251 C",
    "finish": "coated",
    "family": "purple"
  }
}

Convert Pantone 251 C

Pantone → HEXPantone → RGBPantone → CMYKPantone → LABPantone → RALBrowse all colors
Pantone 251 C Color Values | PantoneTools