#BDB5CA
Closest named color: French Gray (#ADB5BD). oklch(78.6% 0.031 303), rgb(189, 181, 202).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.62:1).
About this color
#BDB5CA is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.031 and its hue 303°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is French Gray (#ADB5BD), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.62:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.031) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | French Gray (#ADB5BD) |
| Black text | 10.62:1 |
| White text | 1.97:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB5CA |
| RGB | rgb(189, 181, 202) |
| HSL | hsl(263, 17%, 75%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(78.6% 0.031 303) |
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 #BDB5CA | 1.97:1 | Fails | Lc -42.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB5CA | 10.62:1 | AAA | Lc 65.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB5CA text on white | 1.97:1 | Fails | Lc 38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB5CA text on black | 10.62:1 | AAA | Lc -64.2 | 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
#F6F5F8
oklch(97.2% 0.004 301.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EBE8EF
oklch(93.5% 0.01 305.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DBD7E3
oklch(88.6% 0.017 301.2)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB5CA
oklch(78.6% 0.031 303)
-
Step 400
400
#A69ABA
oklch(70.7% 0.048 302.3)
-
Step 500
500
#9181A9
oklch(63.2% 0.062 302.9)
-
Step 600
600
#7B6A94
oklch(55.6% 0.067 302.8)
-
Step 700
700
#68587F
oklch(49.1% 0.064 302.9)
-
Step 800
800
#554867
oklch(42.7% 0.053 303.4)
-
Step 900
900
#463C54
oklch(37.6% 0.042 303.5)
-
Step 950
950
#292331
oklch(26.9% 0.027 304.2)
#BDB5CA 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) | #B2B8CB | 0.016 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3B8C9 | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #BBB8BC | 0.024 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B8B8B8 | 0.031 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB5CA
#BDB5CA
oklch(78.6% 0.031 303)
- #B5BDA8
#B5BDA8
oklch(78.6% 0.03 124.1)
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 #BDB5CA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.030
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.037
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.038
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.042
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.043
- Pinkish Grey #C8ACA9 ΔE 0.046
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.051
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.053
Use #BDB5CA 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.