#B9BCDE
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.4% 0.048 281.3), rgb(185, 188, 222).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.31:1).
About this color
#B9BCDE is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.048 and its hue 281°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.31:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.048) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.31:1 |
| White text | 1.85:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BCDE |
| RGB | rgb(185, 188, 222) |
| HSL | hsl(235, 36%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.4% 0.048 281.3) |
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 #B9BCDE | 1.85:1 | Fails | Lc -39.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BCDE | 11.31:1 | AAA | Lc 68.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BCDE text on white | 1.85:1 | Fails | Lc 35.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BCDE text on black | 11.31:1 | AAA | Lc -67.5 | 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
#F4F5FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 277.2)
-
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)
#B9BCDE
oklch(80.4% 0.048 281.3)
-
Step 400
400
#989BD0
oklch(70.6% 0.077 281.7)
-
Step 500
500
#7F82C4
oklch(63.1% 0.099 281.2)
-
Step 600
600
#696BB0
oklch(55.7% 0.106 281.1)
-
Step 700
700
#585997
oklch(49.2% 0.098 281.5)
-
Step 800
800
#48497B
oklch(42.8% 0.082 281.5)
-
Step 900
900
#3C3D63
oklch(37.7% 0.065 281.7)
-
Step 950
950
#23243A
oklch(27% 0.041 281.3)
#B9BCDE 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) | #B3BFE0 | 0.010 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2BDDD | 0.010 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B1C2C7 | 0.043 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BEBEBE | 0.048 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BCDE
#B9BCDE
oklch(80.4% 0.048 281.3)
- #C5C19D
#C5C19D
oklch(80.5% 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 #B9BCDE, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.023
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.025
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.040
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.044
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.046
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.046
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.048
Use #B9BCDE 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.