#B5BAFF
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(81% 0.097 280.8), rgb(181, 186, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.43:1).
About this color
#B5BAFF is a light, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.097 and its hue 281°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.43:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.097) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.43:1 |
| White text | 1.83:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BAFF |
| RGB | rgb(181, 186, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(236, 100%, 85%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.097 280.8) |
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 #B5BAFF | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc -38.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BAFF | 11.43:1 | AAA | Lc 69.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BAFF text on white | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc 34.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BAFF text on black | 11.43:1 | 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
#F4F5FE
oklch(97.2% 0.012 281.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E6E8FD
oklch(93.6% 0.028 281.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D2D6FD
oklch(88.5% 0.054 280.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BAFF
oklch(81% 0.097 280.8)
-
Step 400
400
#9092FF
oklch(70.6% 0.157 280.8)
-
Step 500
500
#7873FD
oklch(63.1% 0.199 280.7)
-
Step 600
600
#6456EC
oklch(55.6% 0.217 280.9)
-
Step 700
700
#5345CD
oklch(49.1% 0.201 280.6)
-
Step 800
800
#443AA6
oklch(42.7% 0.167 280.8)
-
Step 900
900
#383483
oklch(37.7% 0.129 280.5)
-
Step 950
950
#211F4D
oklch(27% 0.082 281.3)
#B5BAFF 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) | #A6C2FF | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A3BDFD | 0.024 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A2C7D2 | 0.087 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.098 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BAFF
#B5BAFF
oklch(81% 0.097 280.8)
- #CEC377
#CEC377
oklch(80.9% 0.098 101.1)
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 #B5BAFF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.026
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.038
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.043
- Light Violet #D6B4FC ΔE 0.047
- Carolina Blue #8AB8FE ΔE 0.054
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.058
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.062
- Lilac #CEA2FD ΔE 0.066
Use #B5BAFF 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.