Plum
A purple shade named for the colour of plum fruit
Plum is a purple colour with a brownish-grey or reddish tint, named after the fruit. On the RYB colour wheel, it is made by mixing russet and slate. The name first appeared in English in 1805. Variations include pale plum and Persian plum, also called prune.
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- Plum is named after the colour of the plum fruit.
- It is a purple shade with brownish-grey or reddish tones.
- First recorded as a colour name in English in 1805.
- On the RYB wheel, plum mixes russet and slate.
- Persian plum or prune is a related shade.
What colour is Plum?
Plum is a shade of purple with a brownish-grey or reddish undertone. It is named for its resemblance to the average colour of the plum fruit. The colour stands out from other purples because of its muted, earthy quality, which can appear either more grey or more red depending on the mix. On the RYB colour wheel, plum is created by combining russet and slate, both tertiary colours.
Where does Plum come from?
The colour name 'plum' comes directly from the fruit, with the first known use in English dating to 1805. The shade is meant to match the look of a typical plum, which can vary but is often a muted purple with hints of brown or red. The term 'prune' for a similar colour comes from the French word for plum, but in English refers to dried plums.
Purple around the world
What the purple and violet family means from country to country.
In Holy Week, members of religious brotherhoods walk in procession in robes and pointed hoods, many of them purple, the colour of penance. A purple band also marked the flag of the Second Republic.
Sacred and holyPolitics and protestSource: Holy Week in SpainSuffragettes campaigning for women's votes wore purple, white and green: purple for dignity, white for purity and green for hope.
Politics and protestCourageSource: SuffragetteA child born to a reigning Byzantine emperor was called porphyrogennetos, born in the purple. The birth took place in a palace room lined with purple stone.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Born in the purpleIn the elections of 2005, voters dipped a finger in purple ink to prevent double voting. The stained finger, held up for cameras, became a sign of the vote.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Election inkPurple dye from the murasaki plant was costly and hard to make. In the court rank system set up under Prince Shotoku, the highest officials wore purple caps.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Twelve Level Cap and Rank SystemThe Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon made Tyrian purple from sea snails. The dye was so costly that it became the colour of kings and Roman emperors.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Tyrian purpleShades and relatives of Plum
Several related shades exist. Pale plum is a lighter version, used as a web colour, and is paler than both the standard plum shade and the fruit itself. Persian plum, also called prune, is based on the colour of cooked dried plums. The name 'prune' as a colour dates back to 1789.
Colours that go with Plum
Harmonies are worked out from the value #8E4585. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Plum
What colour is plum?
Plum is a purple shade with a brownish-grey or reddish tint, similar to the average colour of the plum fruit.
Where does the name 'plum' for this colour come from?
The name comes from the plum fruit, as the colour is meant to match its typical appearance.
How is plum made on the RYB colour wheel?
On the RYB colour wheel, plum is created by mixing the tertiary colours russet and slate in equal parts.
When was 'plum' first used as a colour name in English?
The first recorded use of 'plum' as a colour name in English was in 1805.
What are some variations of plum?
Variations include pale plum, a lighter web colour, and Persian plum or prune, which matches the colour of cooked dried plums.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Plum (color)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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