#B9BBDA
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.1% 0.044 282.4), rgb(185, 187, 218).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.18:1).
About this color
#B9BBDA is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.044 and its hue 282°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.024 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.18:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.044) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.18:1 |
| White text | 1.87:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BBDA |
| RGB | rgb(185, 187, 218) |
| HSL | hsl(236, 31%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.1% 0.044 282.4) |
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 #B9BBDA | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc -39.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BBDA | 11.18:1 | AAA | Lc 68.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BBDA text on white | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc 35.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BBDA text on black | 11.18:1 | AAA | Lc -66.9 | 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
#F5F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F2
oklch(93.6% 0.012 281.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D7E9
oklch(88.4% 0.025 283.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BBDA
oklch(80.1% 0.044 282.4)
-
Step 400
400
#999CCC
oklch(70.8% 0.07 281.7)
-
Step 500
500
#8183BE
oklch(63.2% 0.088 282.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6B6BAB
oklch(55.5% 0.098 282.7)
-
Step 700
700
#595992
oklch(49% 0.09 282.5)
-
Step 800
800
#494977
oklch(42.7% 0.076 282.7)
-
Step 900
900
#3D3D60
oklch(37.6% 0.059 283.2)
-
Step 950
950
#242438
oklch(27% 0.037 283.7)
#B9BBDA 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) | #B3BEDB | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2BCD9 | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B2C0C5 | 0.039 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.044 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BBDA
#B9BBDA
oklch(80.1% 0.044 282.4)
- #C3C09F
#C3C09F
oklch(80.2% 0.045 103.1)
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 #B9BBDA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.024
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.024
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.035
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.038
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.043
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.044
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.045
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.046
Use #B9BBDA 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.