#B9BADF
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80% 0.052 283.9), rgb(185, 186, 223).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.15:1).
About this color
#B9BADF is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.052 and its hue 284°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.15:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.052) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.15:1 |
| White text | 1.88:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BADF |
| RGB | rgb(185, 186, 223) |
| HSL | hsl(238, 37%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80% 0.052 283.9) |
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 #B9BADF | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc -40.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BADF | 11.15:1 | AAA | Lc 68.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BADF text on white | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc 35.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BADF text on black | 11.15:1 | AAA | Lc -66.8 | 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
#E8E9F4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 281.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D7EC
oklch(88.5% 0.029 283.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BADF
oklch(80% 0.052 283.9)
-
Step 400
400
#9A9AD3
oklch(70.7% 0.083 284.1)
-
Step 500
500
#8280C8
oklch(63.1% 0.107 284.2)
-
Step 600
600
#6C68B4
oklch(55.5% 0.116 284.3)
-
Step 700
700
#5A579B
oklch(49.2% 0.107 283.7)
-
Step 800
800
#49477E
oklch(42.6% 0.09 283.6)
-
Step 900
900
#3D3C65
oklch(37.7% 0.069 283.7)
-
Step 950
950
#24233B
oklch(26.9% 0.044 284.9)
#B9BADF 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) | #B1BEE1 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B0BCDE | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B1C0C6 | 0.046 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.052 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BADF
#B9BADF
oklch(80% 0.052 283.9)
- #C3C09A
#C3C09A
oklch(80% 0.051 103.8)
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 #B9BADF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.029
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.030
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.039
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.042
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.047
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.047
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.048
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.049
Use #B9BADF 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.