#BCBED4
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.7% 0.031 281.6), rgb(188, 190, 212).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.45:1).
About this color
#BCBED4 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.031 and its hue 282°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.022 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.45:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.031) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.45:1 |
| White text | 1.83:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BCBED4 |
| RGB | rgb(188, 190, 212) |
| HSL | hsl(235, 22%, 78%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.7% 0.031 281.6) |
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 #BCBED4 | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc -38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BCBED4 | 11.45:1 | AAA | Lc 69.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BCBED4 text on white | 1.83:1 | Fails | Lc 34.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BCBED4 text on black | 11.45:1 | AAA | Lc -68.2 | 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
#F5F5F8
oklch(97.1% 0.004 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E9F0
oklch(93.6% 0.009 286.2)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D8E5
oklch(88.5% 0.018 282.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BCBED4
oklch(80.7% 0.031 281.6)
-
Step 400
400
#9B9DBF
oklch(70.6% 0.049 282.4)
-
Step 500
500
#8385AF
oklch(63.1% 0.063 282.3)
-
Step 600
600
#6C6F9B
oklch(55.7% 0.068 280.9)
-
Step 700
700
#5A5C84
oklch(49% 0.064 281.5)
-
Step 800
800
#4A4C6C
oklch(42.8% 0.053 281.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3E3F57
oklch(37.7% 0.041 282.4)
-
Step 950
950
#242533
oklch(27% 0.026 281.3)
#BCBED4 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) | #B9C0D5 | 0.006 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B8BFD3 | 0.006 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B7C2C5 | 0.028 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BFBFBF | 0.031 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BCBED4
#BCBED4
oklch(80.7% 0.031 281.6)
- #C4C1AA
#C4C1AA
oklch(80.7% 0.032 101)
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 #BCBED4, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.022
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.022
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.029
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.031
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.041
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.041
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.043
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.045
Use #BCBED4 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.