#BBB9E4
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.2% 0.06 287.1), rgb(187, 185, 228).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.17:1).
About this color
#BBB9E4 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.060 and its hue 287°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.035 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.17:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.060) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.17:1 |
| White text | 1.87:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BBB9E4 |
| RGB | rgb(187, 185, 228) |
| HSL | hsl(243, 44%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.2% 0.06 287.1) |
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 #BBB9E4 | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc -39.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BBB9E4 | 11.17:1 | AAA | Lc 68.3 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BBB9E4 text on white | 1.87:1 | Fails | Lc 35.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BBB9E4 text on black | 11.17:1 | AAA | Lc -66.9 | 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
#F5F5FB
oklch(97.2% 0.008 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E8F5
oklch(93.6% 0.017 289.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D6EF
oklch(88.5% 0.034 287.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BBB9E4
oklch(80.2% 0.06 287.1)
-
Step 400
400
#9C97DA
oklch(70.6% 0.097 287)
-
Step 500
500
#857CD0
oklch(63% 0.124 287.2)
-
Step 600
600
#7064BD
oklch(55.6% 0.135 287.4)
-
Step 700
700
#5E53A3
oklch(49.2% 0.124 287.2)
-
Step 800
800
#4C4484
oklch(42.7% 0.103 286.9)
-
Step 900
900
#3F3A6A
oklch(37.7% 0.08 286.6)
-
Step 950
950
#25223E
oklch(27% 0.051 287.4)
#BBB9E4 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) | #AFBEE6 | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AEBCE3 | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B2C0C7 | 0.053 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.061 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BBB9E4
#BBB9E4
oklch(80.2% 0.06 287.1)
- #C2C295
#C2C295
oklch(80.3% 0.06 107.7)
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 #BBB9E4, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.035
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.038
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.043
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.043
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.045
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.049
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.049
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.053
Use #BBB9E4 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.