#B9BFDF
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81% 0.046 277), rgb(185, 191, 223).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.58:1).
About this color
#B9BFDF is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.046 and its hue 277°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.017 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.58:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.046) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.58:1 |
| White text | 1.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #B9BFDF |
| RGB | rgb(185, 191, 223) |
| HSL | hsl(231, 37%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.046 277) |
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 #B9BFDF | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc -37.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #B9BFDF | 11.58:1 | AAA | Lc 70.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #B9BFDF text on white | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc 33.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #B9BFDF text on black | 11.58:1 | AAA | Lc -68.8 | 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
#E7E9F3
oklch(93.5% 0.014 277.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D8EA
oklch(88.5% 0.025 275.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#B9BFDF
oklch(81% 0.046 277)
-
Step 400
400
#959DCE
oklch(70.7% 0.072 277.2)
-
Step 500
500
#7B84C2
oklch(63.1% 0.094 277)
-
Step 600
600
#646DAE
oklch(55.6% 0.101 276.6)
-
Step 700
700
#535B95
oklch(49.1% 0.093 276.4)
-
Step 800
800
#444A79
oklch(42.6% 0.078 277)
-
Step 900
900
#393E62
oklch(37.6% 0.062 277)
-
Step 950
950
#222539
oklch(27.1% 0.037 277)
#B9BFDF 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) | #B7C2E1 | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B4BFDE | 0.007 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B1C5C9 | 0.042 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.046 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #B9BFDF
#B9BFDF
oklch(81% 0.046 277)
- #C9C2A1
#C9C2A1
oklch(81.1% 0.045 97.3)
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 #B9BFDF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.017
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.022
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.026
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.041
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.043
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.043
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.044
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.046
Use #B9BFDF 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.