#BDB5DD
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(79.3% 0.057 294.2), rgb(189, 181, 221).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.81:1).
About this color
#BDB5DD is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 79%, its chroma 0.057 and its hue 294°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.041 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.81:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (79%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.057) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 10.81:1 |
| White text | 1.94:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB5DD |
| RGB | rgb(189, 181, 221) |
| HSL | hsl(252, 37%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.3% 0.057 294.2) |
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 #BDB5DD | 1.94:1 | Fails | Lc -41.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB5DD | 10.81:1 | AAA | Lc 66.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB5DD text on white | 1.94:1 | Fails | Lc 37.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB5DD text on black | 10.81:1 | AAA | Lc -65.2 | 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
#F5F4FA
oklch(97% 0.008 293.9)
-
Step 100
100
#EAE8F4
oklch(93.6% 0.016 293.7)
-
Step 200
200
#DAD6EC
oklch(88.6% 0.03 294.1)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB5DD
oklch(79.3% 0.057 294.2)
-
Step 400
400
#A496D4
oklch(70.8% 0.09 294.3)
-
Step 500
500
#8E7BC8
oklch(63.2% 0.115 294.2)
-
Step 600
600
#7862B5
oklch(55.5% 0.127 294.1)
-
Step 700
700
#65519C
oklch(49% 0.118 293.9)
-
Step 800
800
#53437E
oklch(42.8% 0.096 294.5)
-
Step 900
900
#443965
oklch(37.7% 0.074 294)
-
Step 950
950
#28213B
oklch(26.9% 0.048 295.4)
#BDB5DD 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) | #ADBADF | 0.024 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ADB9DC | 0.023 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B7BBC2 | 0.048 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BABABA | 0.057 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB5DD
#BDB5DD
oklch(79.3% 0.057 294.2)
- #BAC097
#BAC097
oklch(79.2% 0.056 114.5)
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 #BDB5DD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.041
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.042
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.049
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.050
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.051
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.053
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.054
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.055
Use #BDB5DD 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.