#B9BCEF
Closest named color: Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC). oklch(81% 0.072 282), rgb(185, 188, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.50:1).
About this color
#B9BCEF is a light, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.072 and its hue 282°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC), ΔE 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.50:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.072) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC) |
| Black text | 11.50:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BCEF |
| RGB | rgb(185, 188, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(237, 63%, 83%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.072 282) |
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 #B9BCEF | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BCEF | 11.50:1 | AAA | Lc 69.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BCEF text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BCEF text on black | 11.50:1 | AAA | Lc -68.5 | 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
#F4F5FC
oklch(97.1% 0.009 279.7)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E8F8
oklch(93.5% 0.022 283.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D7F4
oklch(88.6% 0.04 280.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BCEF
oklch(81% 0.072 282)
-
Step 400
400
#9597E6
oklch(70.6% 0.115 281.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7D7BDF
oklch(63% 0.148 282.2)
-
Step 600
600
#6762CD
oklch(55.5% 0.161 281.9)
-
Step 700
700
#5651B1
oklch(49.1% 0.148 281.8)
-
Step 800
800
#46438F
oklch(42.7% 0.122 281.7)
-
Step 900
900
#3B3972
oklch(37.7% 0.095 282.4)
-
Step 950
950
#222243
oklch(27% 0.06 281.6)
#B9BCEF 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) | #AFC2F1 | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ACBEEE | 0.018 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #ADC5CD | 0.064 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.072 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BCEF
#B9BCEF
oklch(81% 0.072 282)
- #CAC38D
#CAC38D
oklch(81% 0.072 101.6)
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 #B9BCEF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.031
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.034
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.039
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.044
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.044
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.051
- Light Violet #D6B4FC ΔE 0.051
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.052
Use #B9BCEF 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.