#B5B8EA
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(79.7% 0.071 282), rgb(181, 184, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.00:1).
About this color
#B5B8EA is a light, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.071 and its hue 282°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.035 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.00:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.071) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.00:1 |
| White text | 1.90:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5B8EA |
| RGB | rgb(181, 184, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(237, 56%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.7% 0.071 282) |
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 #B5B8EA | 1.90:1 | Fails | Lc -40.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5B8EA | 11.00:1 | AAA | Lc 67.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5B8EA text on white | 1.90:1 | Fails | Lc 36.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5B8EA text on black | 11.00:1 | AAA | Lc -66.1 | 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
#F4F5FC
oklch(97.1% 0.009 279.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F8
oklch(93.7% 0.02 279.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D7F3
oklch(88.6% 0.039 280.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5B8EA
oklch(79.7% 0.071 282)
-
Step 400
400
#9597E5
oklch(70.6% 0.113 282)
-
Step 500
500
#7D7CDE
oklch(63.2% 0.145 281.9)
-
Step 600
600
#6763CB
oklch(55.6% 0.156 281.8)
-
Step 700
700
#5651B0
oklch(49% 0.147 281.9)
-
Step 800
800
#46438E
oklch(42.6% 0.121 281.8)
-
Step 900
900
#3B3972
oklch(37.7% 0.095 282.4)
-
Step 950
950
#222243
oklch(27% 0.06 281.6)
#B5B8EA 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) | #ABBDEC | 0.017 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A9BAE9 | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A9C1C9 | 0.063 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BCBCBC | 0.071 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5B8EA
#B5B8EA
oklch(79.7% 0.071 282)
- #C6BF8A
#C6BF8A
oklch(79.7% 0.071 101.5)
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 #B5B8EA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.035
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.041
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.043
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.044
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.049
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.051
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.052
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.054
Use #B5B8EA 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.