#BDB3CB
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(78.3% 0.035 304.4), rgb(189, 179, 203).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.47:1).
About this color
#BDB3CB is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 78%, its chroma 0.035 and its hue 304°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.033 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.47:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (78%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.035) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.47:1 |
| White text | 2.00:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB3CB |
| RGB | rgb(189, 179, 203) |
| HSL | hsl(265, 19%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.3% 0.035 304.4) |
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 #BDB3CB | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc -43.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB3CB | 10.47:1 | AAA | Lc 65.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB3CB text on white | 2.00:1 | Fails | Lc 38.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB3CB text on black | 10.47:1 | AAA | Lc -63.5 | 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
#F6F5F8
oklch(97.2% 0.004 301.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EBE8EF
oklch(93.5% 0.01 305.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DCD6E4
oklch(88.5% 0.02 305.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB3CB
oklch(78.3% 0.035 304.4)
-
Step 400
400
#A898BE
oklch(70.6% 0.057 304.1)
-
Step 500
500
#937FAD
oklch(63.1% 0.071 304.3)
-
Step 600
600
#7E6899
oklch(55.7% 0.078 304.6)
-
Step 700
700
#6A5682
oklch(49.1% 0.073 304.7)
-
Step 800
800
#56476A
oklch(42.8% 0.059 303.6)
-
Step 900
900
#473B56
oklch(37.6% 0.048 304.5)
-
Step 950
950
#2A2332
oklch(27.1% 0.029 305.8)
#BDB3CB 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) | #AFB7CC | 0.021 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B1B7CA | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #BBB6BB | 0.027 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B7B7B7 | 0.035 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB3CB
#BDB3CB
oklch(78.3% 0.035 304.4)
- #B3BCA4
#B3BCA4
oklch(78.2% 0.035 124)
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 #BDB3CB, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.033
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.042
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.043
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.045
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.046
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.047
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.054
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.055
Use #BDB3CB 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.