#B9BCD6
Closest named color: Cloudy Blue (#ACC2D9). oklch(80.1% 0.037 280.3), rgb(185, 188, 214).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.22:1).
About this color
#B9BCD6 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.037 and its hue 280°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Cloudy Blue (#ACC2D9), ΔE 0.021 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.22:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.037) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cloudy Blue (#ACC2D9) |
| Black text | 11.22:1 |
| White text | 1.87:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BCD6 |
| RGB | rgb(185, 188, 214) |
| HSL | hsl(234, 26%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.1% 0.037 280.3) |
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 #B9BCD6 | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc -39.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BCD6 | 11.22:1 | AAA | Lc 68.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BCD6 text on white | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc 35.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BCD6 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
#F5F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F1
oklch(93.6% 0.011 280.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D8E7
oklch(88.5% 0.021 279.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BCD6
oklch(80.1% 0.037 280.3)
-
Step 400
400
#999DC5
oklch(70.7% 0.058 280.3)
-
Step 500
500
#8085B7
oklch(63.2% 0.075 279.6)
-
Step 600
600
#6A6EA2
oklch(55.6% 0.081 280)
-
Step 700
700
#585C8B
oklch(49.2% 0.075 279.5)
-
Step 800
800
#484B71
oklch(42.7% 0.063 279.9)
-
Step 900
900
#3C3F5B
oklch(37.7% 0.048 279.1)
-
Step 950
950
#232535
oklch(27% 0.03 278.7)
#B9BCD6 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) | #B6BED7 | 0.006 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B4BDD5 | 0.007 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B3C0C4 | 0.033 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.037 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BCD6
#B9BCD6
oklch(80.1% 0.037 280.3)
- #C3BFA4
#C3BFA4
oklch(80.1% 0.037 100.2)
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 #B9BCD6, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.021
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.022
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.037
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.037
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.041
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.042
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.045
Use #B9BCD6 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.