#B9BCDB
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.3% 0.044 281), rgb(185, 188, 219).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.27:1).
About this color
#B9BCDB is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.044 and its hue 281°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.27:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.044) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.27:1 |
| White text | 1.86:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BCDB |
| RGB | rgb(185, 188, 219) |
| HSL | hsl(235, 32%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.3% 0.044 281) |
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 #B9BCDB | 1.86:1 | Fails | Lc -39.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BCDB | 11.27:1 | AAA | Lc 68.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BCDB text on white | 1.86:1 | Fails | Lc 35.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BCDB text on black | 11.27:1 | AAA | Lc -67.4 | 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
#F4F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 275)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F2
oklch(93.6% 0.012 281.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D8E9
oklch(88.6% 0.023 280.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BCDB
oklch(80.3% 0.044 281)
-
Step 400
400
#989CCC
oklch(70.7% 0.07 280.7)
-
Step 500
500
#8083BF
oklch(63.1% 0.09 281.3)
-
Step 600
600
#696CAB
oklch(55.6% 0.097 280.7)
-
Step 700
700
#585A93
oklch(49.2% 0.091 281)
-
Step 800
800
#484A77
oklch(42.8% 0.074 280.8)
-
Step 900
900
#3C3E60
oklch(37.8% 0.058 280.7)
-
Step 950
950
#232438
oklch(26.9% 0.037 281.4)
#B9BCDB 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) | #B4BFDC | 0.009 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3BDDA | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B2C1C6 | 0.039 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BEBEBE | 0.044 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BCDB
#B9BCDB
oklch(80.3% 0.044 281)
- #C4C0A0
#C4C0A0
oklch(80.3% 0.044 101.4)
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 #B9BCDB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.022
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.023
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.039
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.043
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.044
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.045
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.047
Use #B9BCDB 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.