RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western contexts, parchment often symbolizes wisdom, tradition, and the preservation of knowledge, as it was the medium for many ancient texts. In contrast, in some Eastern cultures, it represents purity and simplicity, embodying a connection to nature and the past.
The term 'parchment' originates from the Latin 'pergamena', named after the city of Pergamon in present-day Turkey, where it was first produced around the 2nd century BCE. Initially made from animal skins, it became a vital writing surface during the Middle Ages, replacing papyrus in Europe.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Parchment. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 20 Whites →Nine steps of Parchment by lightness — from #7D796D (darkest) to #F8F4E8 (lightest). Click any to copy.
Sitting opposite Parchment at 225° on the color wheel, these give the highest-contrast pairings.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Parchment.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Parchment anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on dark backgrounds; fails on light.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: #F1E9D2; color-mix(in srgb, #F1E9D2 70%, white) 45°, 13%, 95% 0, 3, 13, 5 15854034 #FFFFCC How Parchment appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.