#BCBED9
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.9% 0.038 282.2), rgb(188, 190, 217).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.50:1).
About this color
#BCBED9 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.038 and its hue 282°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.50:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.038) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.50:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BCBED9 |
| RGB | rgb(188, 190, 217) |
| HSL | hsl(236, 28%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.9% 0.038 282.2) |
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 #BCBED9 | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BCBED9 | 11.50:1 | AAA | Lc 69.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BCBED9 text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BCBED9 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
#F5F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F1
oklch(93.6% 0.011 280.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D8E7
oklch(88.5% 0.021 279.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BCBED9
oklch(80.9% 0.038 282.2)
-
Step 400
400
#9A9CC6
oklch(70.6% 0.061 282.6)
-
Step 500
500
#8284B8
oklch(63.2% 0.078 282.2)
-
Step 600
600
#6C6DA4
oklch(55.7% 0.085 282.5)
-
Step 700
700
#5A5B8C
oklch(49.2% 0.078 282.2)
-
Step 800
800
#494A72
oklch(42.6% 0.066 282.1)
-
Step 900
900
#3D3E5C
oklch(37.6% 0.051 282.2)
-
Step 950
950
#242536
oklch(27.1% 0.031 281.5)
#BCBED9 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) | #B8C1DA | 0.009 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B6BFD8 | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B6C2C7 | 0.033 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.038 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BCBED9
#BCBED9
oklch(80.9% 0.038 282.2)
- #C5C2A6
#C5C2A6
oklch(80.9% 0.038 102.2)
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 #BCBED9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.020
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.022
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.028
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.038
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.040
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.042
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.045
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.048
Use #BCBED9 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.