#B9BDEB
Closest named color: Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC). oklch(81.1% 0.065 280.9), rgb(185, 189, 235).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.54:1).
About this color
#B9BDEB is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.065 and its hue 281°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.54:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.065) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC) |
| Black text | 11.54:1 |
| White text | 1.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BDEB |
| RGB | rgb(185, 189, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(235, 56%, 82%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.1% 0.065 280.9) |
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 #B9BDEB | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc -38.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BDEB | 11.54:1 | AAA | Lc 69.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BDEB text on white | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc 34.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BDEB text on black | 11.54:1 | AAA | Lc -68.6 | 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
#F4F5FB
oklch(97.1% 0.008 278.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F7
oklch(93.7% 0.019 279.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D7F1
oklch(88.5% 0.036 280.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BDEB
oklch(81.1% 0.065 280.9)
-
Step 400
400
#9599E0
oklch(70.7% 0.103 280.9)
-
Step 500
500
#7C7ED7
oklch(63.1% 0.132 280.9)
-
Step 600
600
#6666C5
oklch(55.7% 0.144 280.7)
-
Step 700
700
#5554AA
oklch(49.1% 0.134 280.8)
-
Step 800
800
#46458A
oklch(42.8% 0.112 281.2)
-
Step 900
900
#3A3B6E
oklch(37.8% 0.086 280.6)
-
Step 950
950
#222340
oklch(27.1% 0.053 280.7)
#B9BDEB 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) | #B1C2ED | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AFBEEA | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #AEC5CC | 0.058 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.065 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BDEB
#B9BDEB
oklch(81.1% 0.065 280.9)
- #CAC393
#CAC393
oklch(81.1% 0.064 100.7)
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 #B9BDEB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.032
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.032
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.037
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.037
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.038
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.051
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.051
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.051
Use #B9BDEB 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.