#B5BDE2
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.4% 0.053 275.6), rgb(181, 189, 226).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.34:1).
About this color
#B5BDE2 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.053 and its hue 276°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.34:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.053) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.34:1 |
| White text | 1.85:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BDE2 |
| RGB | rgb(181, 189, 226) |
| HSL | hsl(229, 44%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.4% 0.053 275.6) |
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 #B5BDE2 | 1.85:1 | Fails | Lc -39.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BDE2 | 11.34:1 | AAA | Lc 69.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BDE2 text on white | 1.85:1 | Fails | Lc 34.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BDE2 text on black | 11.34:1 | AAA | Lc -67.7 | 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
#D3D8ED
oklch(88.5% 0.029 275.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BDE2
oklch(80.4% 0.053 275.6)
-
Step 400
400
#919CD6
oklch(70.6% 0.086 275.7)
-
Step 500
500
#7783CB
oklch(63.1% 0.109 275.6)
-
Step 600
600
#616CB7
oklch(55.7% 0.117 275.6)
-
Step 700
700
#505A9E
oklch(49.2% 0.109 275.3)
-
Step 800
800
#414980
oklch(42.6% 0.091 275.6)
-
Step 900
900
#373E67
oklch(37.8% 0.071 275.1)
-
Step 950
950
#20243C
oklch(26.9% 0.045 275.7)
#B5BDE2 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) | #B3C0E4 | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B0BDE1 | 0.007 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #ABC4C9 | 0.048 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BEBEBE | 0.053 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BDE2
#B5BDE2
oklch(80.4% 0.053 275.6)
- #C9C099
#C9C099
oklch(80.5% 0.053 96.6)
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 #B5BDE2, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.022
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.024
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.038
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.041
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.043
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.044
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.051
Use #B5BDE2 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.