#BBC3E1
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(82.1% 0.043 273.6), rgb(187, 195, 225).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.00:1).
About this color
#BBC3E1 is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 82%, its chroma 0.043 and its hue 274°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.016 away. Black text reads best on it, at 12.00:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (82%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.043) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 12.00:1 |
| White text | 1.74:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BBC3E1 |
| RGB | rgb(187, 195, 225) |
| HSL | hsl(227, 39%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(82.1% 0.043 273.6) |
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 #BBC3E1 | 1.74:1 | Fails | Lc -35.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BBC3E1 | 12.00:1 | AAA | Lc 71.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BBC3E1 text on white | 1.74:1 | Fails | Lc 31.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BBC3E1 text on black | 12.00:1 | AAA | Lc -70.8 | 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
#F4F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 275)
-
Step 100
100
#E7E9F2
oklch(93.5% 0.012 276.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D4D8E9
oklch(88.4% 0.024 275.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BBC3E1
oklch(82.1% 0.043 273.6)
-
Step 400
400
#939ECC
oklch(70.7% 0.069 274.1)
-
Step 500
500
#7886BF
oklch(63.2% 0.088 273.1)
-
Step 600
600
#626FAB
oklch(55.7% 0.095 273.7)
-
Step 700
700
#515C93
oklch(49% 0.089 274.1)
-
Step 800
800
#424C77
oklch(42.8% 0.073 273)
-
Step 900
900
#383F60
oklch(37.7% 0.057 274.2)
-
Step 950
950
#212538
oklch(27% 0.036 274.6)
#BBC3E1 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) | #BBC5E2 | 0.005 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B8C2E0 | 0.005 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B2C8CD | 0.038 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C4C4C4 | 0.043 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BBC3E1
#BBC3E1
oklch(82.1% 0.043 273.6)
- #CDC4A5
#CDC4A5
oklch(82% 0.043 93.7)
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 #BBC3E1, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.016
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.016
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.024
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.039
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.040
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.045
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.047
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.048
Use #BBC3E1 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.