#B9BBDE
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.2% 0.049 282.6), rgb(185, 187, 222).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.22:1).
About this color
#B9BBDE is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.049 and its hue 283°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.22:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.049) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.22:1 |
| White text | 1.87:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BBDE |
| RGB | rgb(185, 187, 222) |
| HSL | hsl(237, 36%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.2% 0.049 282.6) |
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 #B9BBDE | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc -39.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BBDE | 11.22:1 | AAA | Lc 68.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BBDE text on white | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc 35.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BBDE text on black | 11.22:1 | AAA | Lc -67.1 | 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
#E8E9F3
oklch(93.6% 0.013 281.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D7EB
oklch(88.4% 0.027 283.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BBDE
oklch(80.2% 0.049 282.6)
-
Step 400
400
#999BD1
oklch(70.8% 0.079 282.5)
-
Step 500
500
#8181C5
oklch(63.1% 0.101 283.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6A6AB1
oklch(55.6% 0.109 282.3)
-
Step 700
700
#595898
oklch(49.1% 0.101 282.7)
-
Step 800
800
#49487C
oklch(42.7% 0.085 283.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3D3D63
oklch(37.8% 0.064 282.9)
-
Step 950
950
#23243A
oklch(27% 0.041 281.3)
#B9BBDE 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) | #B2BFE0 | 0.013 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B1BCDD | 0.011 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B1C1C6 | 0.044 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.049 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BBDE
#B9BBDE
oklch(80.2% 0.049 282.6)
- #C4C09C
#C4C09C
oklch(80.2% 0.049 102.2)
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 #B9BBDE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.026
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.027
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.036
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.041
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.045
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.047
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.047
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.050
Use #B9BBDE 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.