#BDB3E1
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(79% 0.065 294.8), rgb(189, 179, 225).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.69:1).
About this color
#BDB3E1 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.065 and its hue 295°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.048 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.69:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.065) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 10.69:1 |
| White text | 1.96:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB3E1 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 179, 225) |
| HSL | hsl(253, 43%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79% 0.065 294.8) |
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 #BDB3E1 | 1.96:1 | Fails | Lc -42.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB3E1 | 10.69:1 | AAA | Lc 66.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB3E1 text on white | 1.96:1 | Fails | Lc 37.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB3E1 text on black | 10.69:1 | AAA | Lc -64.6 | 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
#F6F4FB
oklch(97.1% 0.009 299.2)
-
Step 100
100
#EAE8F6
oklch(93.7% 0.019 292.6)
-
Step 200
200
#DAD5EF
oklch(88.5% 0.036 294.5)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB3E1
oklch(79% 0.065 294.8)
-
Step 400
400
#A593DB
oklch(70.6% 0.105 295.1)
-
Step 500
500
#9077D1
oklch(63.1% 0.134 295.1)
-
Step 600
600
#7B5EBE
oklch(55.6% 0.145 295.2)
-
Step 700
700
#674DA4
oklch(49% 0.135 294.7)
-
Step 800
800
#544085
oklch(42.7% 0.111 294.6)
-
Step 900
900
#45376B
oklch(37.8% 0.087 294.2)
-
Step 950
950
#28203E
oklch(26.8% 0.055 294.7)
#BDB3E1 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) | #A9B9E3 | 0.029 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AAB8E0 | 0.028 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B6BAC3 | 0.054 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B9B9B9 | 0.066 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB3E1
#BDB3E1
oklch(79% 0.065 294.8)
- #B9C090
#B9C090
oklch(79% 0.065 114.7)
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 #BDB3E1, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.048
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.049
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.049
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.053
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.054
- Light Violet #D6B4FC ΔE 0.054
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.055
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.056
Use #BDB3E1 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.