#B1BCB5
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(78.5% 0.016 158.2), rgb(177, 188, 181).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.72:1).
About this color
#B1BCB5 is a light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.016. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.72:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.016) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.72:1 |
| White text | 1.95:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B1BCB5 |
| RGB | rgb(177, 188, 181) |
| HSL | hsl(142, 8%, 72%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.5% 0.016 158.2) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #B1BCB5 | 1.95:1 | Fails | Lc -42.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B1BCB5 | 10.72:1 | AAA | Lc 66.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B1BCB5 text on white | 1.95:1 | Fails | Lc 37.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B1BCB5 text on black | 10.72:1 | AAA | Lc -64.7 | Content text, not long reading |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 300.
-
Step 50
50
#F4F6F5
oklch(97.1% 0.002 165.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E7EBE9
oklch(93.6% 0.005 165)
-
Step 200
200
#D5DBD7
oklch(88.6% 0.008 157.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B1BCB5
oklch(78.5% 0.016 158.2)
-
Step 400
400
#94A69B
oklch(70.8% 0.026 158.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7A9082
oklch(63.2% 0.033 157.4)
-
Step 600
600
#637A6C
oklch(55.7% 0.034 158.3)
-
Step 700
700
#52675A
oklch(49.2% 0.033 157.8)
-
Step 800
800
#435449
oklch(42.8% 0.028 156.7)
-
Step 900
900
#39453D
oklch(37.7% 0.021 156.1)
-
Step 950
950
#212824
oklch(26.8% 0.012 160.4)
#B1BCB5 with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #BCBAB5 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #BAB9B5 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #AFBCBA | 0.007 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B9B9B9 | 0.016 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B1BCB5
#B1BCB5
oklch(78.5% 0.016 158.2)
- #C0B5BC
#C0B5BC
oklch(78.4% 0.016 339)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #B1BCB5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.026
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.028
- Ash Gray #BFC8AD ΔE 0.043
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.048
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.048
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.049
- Dark Gray #A9A9A9 ΔE 0.052
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.054
Use #B1BCB5 in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.