#B5B9CD
Closest named color: Cloudy Blue (#ACC2D9). oklch(78.9% 0.029 276.7), rgb(181, 185, 205).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.78:1).
About this color
#B5B9CD is a light close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.029. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Cloudy Blue (#ACC2D9), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.78:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.029) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Cloudy Blue (#ACC2D9) |
| Black text | 10.78:1 |
| White text | 1.94:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5B9CD |
| RGB | rgb(181, 185, 205) |
| HSL | hsl(230, 19%, 76%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.9% 0.029 276.7) |
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 #B5B9CD | 1.94:1 | Fails | Lc -41.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5B9CD | 10.78:1 | AAA | Lc 66.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5B9CD text on white | 1.94:1 | Fails | Lc 37.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5B9CD text on black | 10.78:1 | AAA | Lc -65.0 | 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
#F5F5F8
oklch(97.1% 0.004 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9EF
oklch(93.5% 0.008 278.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D8E4
oklch(88.4% 0.017 278.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5B9CD
oklch(78.9% 0.029 276.7)
-
Step 400
400
#999FBE
oklch(70.8% 0.046 276.6)
-
Step 500
500
#8087AD
oklch(63.2% 0.058 276.5)
-
Step 600
600
#697099
oklch(55.5% 0.064 276.6)
-
Step 700
700
#585E82
oklch(49.1% 0.058 276.7)
-
Step 800
800
#484D6A
oklch(42.8% 0.049 276.6)
-
Step 900
900
#3C4056
oklch(37.7% 0.038 276.4)
-
Step 950
950
#232532
oklch(26.8% 0.024 277.8)
#B5B9CD 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) | #B4BBCE | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3B9CC | 0.003 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B0BCBF | 0.025 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BABABA | 0.029 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5B9CD
#B5B9CD
oklch(78.9% 0.029 276.7)
- #BFBBA6
#BFBBA6
oklch(79% 0.029 98.2)
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 #B5B9CD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.026
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.026
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.031
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.031
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.034
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.040
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.045
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.054
Use #B5B9CD 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.