#BCBDE9
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81.2% 0.062 283.9), rgb(188, 189, 233).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.59:1).
About this color
#BCBDE9 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.062 and its hue 284°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.59:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.062) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.59:1 |
| White text | 1.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BCBDE9 |
| RGB | rgb(188, 189, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(239, 51%, 83%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.2% 0.062 283.9) |
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 #BCBDE9 | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc -37.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BCBDE9 | 11.59:1 | AAA | Lc 70.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BCBDE9 text on white | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc 33.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BCBDE9 text on black | 11.59:1 | AAA | Lc -68.9 | 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
#F4F5FB
oklch(97.1% 0.008 278.6)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F6
oklch(93.7% 0.018 282.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D7F0
oklch(88.6% 0.034 283.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BCBDE9
oklch(81.2% 0.062 283.9)
-
Step 400
400
#9998DC
oklch(70.7% 0.099 284.3)
-
Step 500
500
#817DD3
oklch(63% 0.127 284.2)
-
Step 600
600
#6B65C0
oklch(55.6% 0.138 284)
-
Step 700
700
#5954A6
oklch(49.2% 0.128 283.4)
-
Step 800
800
#494586
oklch(42.7% 0.105 283.8)
-
Step 900
900
#3D3A6B
oklch(37.6% 0.082 284.5)
-
Step 950
950
#23223F
oklch(26.9% 0.053 283.8)
#BCBDE9 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) | #B2C2EB | 0.017 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B1BFE8 | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B2C4CC | 0.053 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.062 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BCBDE9
#BCBDE9
oklch(81.2% 0.062 283.9)
- #C8C496
#C8C496
oklch(81.2% 0.062 103.5)
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 #BCBDE9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.032
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.032
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.037
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.037
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.042
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.046
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.053
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.053
Use #BCBDE9 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.