#BCBDE1
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.9% 0.051 284), rgb(188, 189, 225).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.50:1).
About this color
#BCBDE1 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.051 and its hue 284°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.50:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.051) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.50:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BCBDE1 |
| RGB | rgb(188, 189, 225) |
| HSL | hsl(238, 38%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.9% 0.051 284) |
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 #BCBDE1 | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BCBDE1 | 11.50:1 | AAA | Lc 69.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BCBDE1 text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BCBDE1 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
#F5F5FA
oklch(97.2% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 281.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D7EC
oklch(88.5% 0.029 283.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BCBDE1
oklch(80.9% 0.051 284)
-
Step 400
400
#9A9AD2
oklch(70.7% 0.081 284.1)
-
Step 500
500
#8280C6
oklch(63% 0.104 284.3)
-
Step 600
600
#6C69B2
oklch(55.6% 0.112 284)
-
Step 700
700
#5A5799
oklch(49% 0.104 283.9)
-
Step 800
800
#4A477C
oklch(42.6% 0.086 284.7)
-
Step 900
900
#3D3C64
oklch(37.6% 0.068 283.8)
-
Step 950
950
#24233B
oklch(26.9% 0.044 284.9)
#BCBDE1 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) | #B4C1E3 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3BFE0 | 0.013 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B4C3C9 | 0.044 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.051 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BCBDE1
#BCBDE1
oklch(80.9% 0.051 284)
- #C6C39D
#C6C39D
oklch(81% 0.051 103.7)
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 #BCBDE1, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.025
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.029
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.032
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.041
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.042
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.046
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.049
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.050
Use #BCBDE1 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.