#B5BDEC
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.8% 0.067 277.2), rgb(181, 189, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.45:1).
About this color
#B5BDEC is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.067 and its hue 277°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.45:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.067) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.45:1 |
| White text | 1.83:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BDEC |
| RGB | rgb(181, 189, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(231, 59%, 82%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.8% 0.067 277.2) |
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 #B5BDEC | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc -38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BDEC | 11.45:1 | AAA | Lc 69.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BDEC text on white | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc 34.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BDEC text on black | 11.45:1 | 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
#F4F5FC
oklch(97.1% 0.009 279.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E6E9F7
oklch(93.6% 0.019 276.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D2D7F2
oklch(88.4% 0.037 277.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BDEC
oklch(80.8% 0.067 277.2)
-
Step 400
400
#909AE3
oklch(70.7% 0.107 277.3)
-
Step 500
500
#767FDB
oklch(63.1% 0.138 277.5)
-
Step 600
600
#6067C8
oklch(55.6% 0.148 277.3)
-
Step 700
700
#4F55AD
oklch(49.1% 0.138 277.1)
-
Step 800
800
#41468C
oklch(42.7% 0.114 277.3)
-
Step 900
900
#373B70
oklch(37.7% 0.09 277.9)
-
Step 950
950
#202342
oklch(27% 0.057 277.6)
#B5BDEC 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) | #B0C1EE | 0.011 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ADBDEB | 0.011 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #A8C5CD | 0.059 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.067 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BDEC
#B5BDEC
oklch(80.8% 0.067 277.2)
- #CCC18F
#CCC18F
oklch(80.8% 0.067 97.2)
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 #B5BDEC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.032
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.033
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.034
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.037
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.039
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.048
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.049
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
Use #B5BDEC 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.