Purple (Munsell)
The most colourful purple in the Munsell colour system
Purple (Munsell) is a vivid purple defined by the Munsell colour system as its primary purple, with the hue 5P. It is the most chromatic purple that fits within the sRGB colour range, standing out for its intensity and clarity.
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- Defined as 5P (primary purple) in the Munsell system
- Most chromatic purple in the sRGB colour range
- Has the hex code #9F00C5
- One of five primary colours in Munsell’s colour wheel
What colour is Purple (Munsell)?
Purple (Munsell) is a strong, clear shade of purple defined by the Munsell colour system. It is the most colourful or saturated purple that can be shown on a standard digital screen, sitting at the 5P (primary purple) point in the system. This shade stands apart from other purples for its high chroma, meaning it is more intense and pure than most other purples you might see.
Where does Purple (Munsell) come from?
The Munsell colour system was developed to organise colours in a way that matches how people see them. In this system, purple is one of five main colours on the wheel, along with red, yellow, green, and blue. Purple (Munsell) refers to the most chromatic purple at the system’s primary purple point, labelled 5P.
How Purple (Munsell) is defined
Purple (Munsell) is not made from a pigment or dye but is a standard colour value defined by the Munsell system. It is shown on screens using the sRGB colour model, with the hex code #9F00C5. The colour is chosen for its position in the system, not for any material or process.
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 Purple (Munsell)
Other purples in the Munsell system may be less saturated or lighter or darker, but Purple (Munsell) is the most intense. It should not be confused with other purples outside the Munsell system, which may have different definitions or appearances.
Colours that go with Purple (Munsell)
Harmonies are worked out from the value #9F00C5. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Purple (Munsell)
What colour is Purple (Munsell)?
It is a vivid, highly saturated purple, defined as the most chromatic purple at the 5P point in the Munsell colour system.
Where does the name Purple (Munsell) come from?
It comes from the Munsell colour system, which uses 'purple' as one of its five main colours and defines this shade at the 5P (primary purple) point.
Is Purple (Munsell) a pigment or a standard?
It is a standard colour value, not a pigment or dye, and is defined for digital and print use by its position in the Munsell system.
How is Purple (Munsell) shown on screens?
It is displayed using the sRGB colour model with the hex code #9F00C5, representing the most colourful purple in that range.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shades of purple" (the section "Purple (Munsell)"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. 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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