#B9B8E0
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(79.7% 0.056 286.2), rgb(185, 184, 224).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.99:1).
About this color
#B9B8E0 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.056 and its hue 286°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.034 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.99:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.056) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 10.99:1 |
| White text | 1.90:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9B8E0 |
| RGB | rgb(185, 184, 224) |
| HSL | hsl(242, 39%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.7% 0.056 286.2) |
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 #B9B8E0 | 1.90:1 | Fails | Lc -40.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9B8E0 | 10.99:1 | AAA | Lc 67.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9B8E0 text on white | 1.90:1 | Fails | Lc 36.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9B8E0 text on black | 10.99:1 | AAA | Lc -66.0 | 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
#F5F5FA
oklch(97.2% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E8F5
oklch(93.6% 0.017 289.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D7ED
oklch(88.6% 0.03 285.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9B8E0
oklch(79.7% 0.056 286.2)
-
Step 400
400
#9C98D7
oklch(70.7% 0.091 286.7)
-
Step 500
500
#847ECC
oklch(63.1% 0.116 286.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6E66B8
oklch(55.5% 0.125 286)
-
Step 700
700
#5C549F
oklch(49% 0.117 286.1)
-
Step 800
800
#4B4581
oklch(42.6% 0.097 286.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3F3B67
oklch(37.8% 0.074 286.4)
-
Step 950
950
#25233D
oklch(27.2% 0.048 286.3)
#B9B8E0 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) | #AEBDE2 | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AEBADF | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B1BFC5 | 0.050 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BBBBBB | 0.056 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9B8E0
#B9B8E0
oklch(79.7% 0.056 286.2)
- #C1C096
#C1C096
oklch(79.8% 0.057 106.5)
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 #B9B8E0, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.034
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.035
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.044
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.044
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.048
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.049
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.051
Use #B9B8E0 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.