#B5BAEF
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(80.3% 0.075 280.4), rgb(181, 186, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.23:1).
About this color
#B5BAEF is a light, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.075 and its hue 280°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.23:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.075) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.23:1 |
| White text | 1.86:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BAEF |
| RGB | rgb(181, 186, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(235, 64%, 82%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.3% 0.075 280.4) |
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 #B5BAEF | 1.86:1 | Fails | Lc -39.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BAEF | 11.23:1 | AAA | Lc 68.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BAEF text on white | 1.86:1 | Fails | Lc 35.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BAEF text on black | 11.23:1 | AAA | Lc -67.2 | 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
#F4F5FC
oklch(97.1% 0.009 279.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F9
oklch(93.7% 0.022 280.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D3D7F5
oklch(88.5% 0.041 279.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BAEF
oklch(80.3% 0.075 280.4)
-
Step 400
400
#9397EA
oklch(70.7% 0.121 280.7)
-
Step 500
500
#7A7BE3
oklch(63% 0.154 280.6)
-
Step 600
600
#6462D1
oklch(55.6% 0.167 280.3)
-
Step 700
700
#5350B5
oklch(49% 0.155 280.3)
-
Step 800
800
#444293
oklch(42.6% 0.13 280.5)
-
Step 900
900
#393975
oklch(37.7% 0.1 280.5)
-
Step 950
950
#212244
oklch(27% 0.062 280.1)
#B5BAEF 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) | #ACC0F1 | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A9BCEE | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A7C3CC | 0.066 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.075 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BAEF
#B5BAEF
oklch(80.3% 0.075 280.4)
- #C9C188
#C9C188
oklch(80.4% 0.076 101.1)
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 #B5BAEF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.030
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.038
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.042
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.045
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.049
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.050
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.053
- Light Violet #D6B4FC ΔE 0.054
Use #B5BAEF 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.