#B5BBDE
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(79.9% 0.05 277.6), rgb(181, 187, 222).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.12:1).
About this color
#B5BBDE is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.050 and its hue 278°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.024 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.12:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.050) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.12:1 |
| White text | 1.88:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BBDE |
| RGB | rgb(181, 187, 222) |
| HSL | hsl(231, 38%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.9% 0.05 277.6) |
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 #B5BBDE | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc -40.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BBDE | 11.12:1 | AAA | Lc 68.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BBDE text on white | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc 35.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BBDE text on black | 11.12:1 | AAA | Lc -66.7 | 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
#F4F5FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 277.2)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 277.8)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D8EC
oklch(88.5% 0.028 276.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BBDE
oklch(79.9% 0.05 277.6)
-
Step 400
400
#949CD2
oklch(70.6% 0.079 277.6)
-
Step 500
500
#7B83C7
oklch(63.1% 0.102 277.9)
-
Step 600
600
#646CB3
oklch(55.6% 0.11 277.3)
-
Step 700
700
#535A9A
oklch(49.2% 0.102 277.2)
-
Step 800
800
#44497D
oklch(42.6% 0.086 277.9)
-
Step 900
900
#393E65
oklch(37.8% 0.067 277.1)
-
Step 950
950
#21243B
oklch(26.9% 0.043 277.4)
#B5BBDE 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) | #B2BEE0 | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AFBBDD | 0.008 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #ACC1C6 | 0.045 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.050 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BBDE
#B5BBDE
oklch(79.9% 0.05 277.6)
- #C6BE9A
#C6BE9A
oklch(79.9% 0.049 96.9)
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 #B5BBDE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.024
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.024
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.036
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.037
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.040
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.048
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.048
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.049
Use #B5BBDE 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.