#B3BEE9
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.8% 0.062 273.7), rgb(179, 190, 233).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.45:1).
About this color
#B3BEE9 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.062 and its hue 274°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.45:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.062) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.45:1 |
| White text | 1.83:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B3BEE9 |
| RGB | rgb(179, 190, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(228, 55%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.8% 0.062 273.7) |
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 #B3BEE9 | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc -38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B3BEE9 | 11.45:1 | AAA | Lc 69.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B3BEE9 text on white | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc 34.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B3BEE9 text on black | 11.45:1 | AAA | Lc -68.2 | 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
#F3F5FB
oklch(97% 0.008 271.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E6E9F6
oklch(93.6% 0.018 275.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D1D8F1
oklch(88.5% 0.035 273.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B3BEE9
oklch(80.8% 0.062 273.7)
-
Step 400
400
#8D9CDF
oklch(70.7% 0.1 273.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7282D6
oklch(63.1% 0.128 274)
-
Step 600
600
#5B6AC3
oklch(55.6% 0.138 273.9)
-
Step 700
700
#4B58A8
oklch(49.1% 0.128 273.8)
-
Step 800
800
#3D4888
oklch(42.6% 0.106 273.7)
-
Step 900
900
#343D6D
oklch(37.7% 0.083 273.8)
-
Step 950
950
#1E2440
oklch(27% 0.053 273.2)
#B3BEE9 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) | #B2C2EB | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AEBDE8 | 0.007 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A6C6CC | 0.056 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.062 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B3BEE9
#B3BEE9
oklch(80.8% 0.062 273.7)
- #CDC093
#CDC093
oklch(80.7% 0.062 93.9)
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 #B3BEE9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.026
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.030
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.035
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.035
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.037
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.043
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.044
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.047
Use #B3BEE9 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.