#B5BCED
Closest named color: Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE). oklch(80.7% 0.07 278.4), rgb(181, 188, 237).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.38:1).
About this color
#B5BCED is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.070 and its hue 278°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.38:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.070) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pastel Blue (#A2BFFE) |
| Black text | 11.38:1 |
| White text | 1.84:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BCED |
| RGB | rgb(181, 188, 237) |
| HSL | hsl(233, 61%, 82%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.7% 0.07 278.4) |
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 #B5BCED | 1.84:1 | Fails | Lc -38.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BCED | 11.38:1 | AAA | Lc 69.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BCED text on white | 1.84:1 | Fails | Lc 34.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BCED text on black | 11.38:1 | AAA | Lc -67.9 | 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
#E6E9F8
oklch(93.6% 0.02 276.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D3D7F3
oklch(88.5% 0.039 279.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BCED
oklch(80.7% 0.07 278.4)
-
Step 400
400
#9199E5
oklch(70.7% 0.111 278.5)
-
Step 500
500
#777EDE
oklch(63.1% 0.143 278.3)
-
Step 600
600
#6165CB
oklch(55.5% 0.155 278.4)
-
Step 700
700
#5153B0
oklch(49% 0.145 278.7)
-
Step 800
800
#42458E
oklch(42.7% 0.118 278.4)
-
Step 900
900
#373B72
oklch(37.8% 0.093 277.8)
-
Step 950
950
#202343
oklch(27.1% 0.059 277.6)
#B5BCED 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) | #AFC1EF | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ABBDEC | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A8C5CD | 0.062 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.070 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BCED
#B5BCED
oklch(80.7% 0.07 278.4)
- #CBC18D
#CBC18D
oklch(80.7% 0.07 98.5)
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 #B5BCED, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.032
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.035
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.035
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.039
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.043
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.050
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.051
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.052
Use #B5BCED 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.