#B5BFDF
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.7% 0.047 271.6), rgb(181, 191, 223).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.48:1).
About this color
#B5BFDF is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.047 and its hue 272°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.015 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.48:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.047) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.48:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B5BFDF |
| RGB | rgb(181, 191, 223) |
| HSL | hsl(226, 40%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.7% 0.047 271.6) |
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 #B5BFDF | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B5BFDF | 11.48:1 | AAA | Lc 69.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B5BFDF text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B5BFDF text on black | 11.48:1 | AAA | Lc -68.4 | 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
#E6EAF3
oklch(93.7% 0.013 266.7)
-
Step 200
200
#D3D9EB
oklch(88.6% 0.026 271.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B5BFDF
oklch(80.7% 0.047 271.6)
-
Step 400
400
#909ED0
oklch(70.7% 0.075 272.3)
-
Step 500
500
#7586C3
oklch(63.1% 0.094 271.6)
-
Step 600
600
#5E6FB0
oklch(55.7% 0.103 271.6)
-
Step 700
700
#4D5C97
oklch(49% 0.096 271.7)
-
Step 800
800
#3F4C7B
oklch(42.8% 0.08 271)
-
Step 900
900
#363F63
oklch(37.7% 0.063 272.4)
-
Step 950
950
#1F253A
oklch(26.9% 0.04 271.3)
#B5BFDF 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) | #B6C1E1 | 0.006 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3BEDE | 0.004 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #ABC5C9 | 0.043 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.047 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B5BFDF
#B5BFDF
oklch(80.7% 0.047 271.6)
- #CBC09F
#CBC09F
oklch(80.8% 0.046 91.8)
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 #B5BFDF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.015
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.018
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.026
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.037
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.038
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.045
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.047
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.049
Use #B5BFDF 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.