#BCBDE3
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81% 0.053 284), rgb(188, 189, 227).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.52:1).
About this color
#BCBDE3 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.053 and its hue 284°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.52:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.053) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.52:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BCBDE3 |
| RGB | rgb(188, 189, 227) |
| HSL | hsl(238, 41%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.053 284) |
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 #BCBDE3 | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BCBDE3 | 11.52:1 | AAA | Lc 69.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BCBDE3 text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BCBDE3 text on black | 11.52:1 | 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
#F5F5FA
oklch(97.2% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 281.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D7ED
oklch(88.5% 0.03 283.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BCBDE3
oklch(81% 0.053 284)
-
Step 400
400
#9A9AD4
oklch(70.8% 0.084 284)
-
Step 500
500
#8280C9
oklch(63.2% 0.109 284.1)
-
Step 600
600
#6C68B6
oklch(55.6% 0.119 284.2)
-
Step 700
700
#5A569C
oklch(49% 0.11 284.2)
-
Step 800
800
#49477F
oklch(42.7% 0.091 283.4)
-
Step 900
900
#3D3C66
oklch(37.7% 0.071 283.5)
-
Step 950
950
#24233C
oklch(27% 0.046 284.7)
#BCBDE3 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) | #B4C1E5 | 0.014 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2BFE2 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B4C3CA | 0.046 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.053 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BCBDE3
#BCBDE3
oklch(81% 0.053 284)
- #C6C39C
#C6C39C
oklch(81% 0.053 103.9)
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 #BCBDE3, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.026
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.031
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.038
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.043
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.048
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.048
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
Use #BCBDE3 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.