#BDB5E4
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(79.5% 0.066 292.6), rgb(189, 181, 228).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.89:1).
About this color
#BDB5E4 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.066 and its hue 293°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.045 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.89:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.066) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 10.89:1 |
| White text | 1.92:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB5E4 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 181, 228) |
| HSL | hsl(250, 47%, 80%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.5% 0.066 292.6) |
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 #BDB5E4 | 1.92:1 | Fails | Lc -41.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB5E4 | 10.89:1 | AAA | Lc 67.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB5E4 text on white | 1.92:1 | Fails | Lc 36.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB5E4 text on black | 10.89:1 | AAA | Lc -65.5 | 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
#F5F4FB
oklch(97% 0.009 292.8)
-
Step 100
100
#EAE8F6
oklch(93.7% 0.019 292.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D9D5F0
oklch(88.4% 0.037 292.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB5E4
oklch(79.5% 0.066 292.6)
-
Step 400
400
#A394DD
oklch(70.7% 0.106 292.9)
-
Step 500
500
#8D78D4
oklch(63.2% 0.136 292.6)
-
Step 600
600
#785FC1
oklch(55.7% 0.148 292.7)
-
Step 700
700
#654EA6
oklch(49.1% 0.136 292.7)
-
Step 800
800
#524087
oklch(42.7% 0.114 292.6)
-
Step 900
900
#44376C
oklch(37.7% 0.089 292.9)
-
Step 950
950
#28213F
oklch(27.1% 0.055 293.1)
#BDB5E4 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) | #ABBBE6 | 0.027 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ABBAE3 | 0.027 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B5BCC5 | 0.055 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BBBBBB | 0.066 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB5E4
#BDB5E4
oklch(79.5% 0.066 292.6)
- #BCC190
#BCC190
oklch(79.5% 0.066 112.6)
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 #BDB5E4, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.045
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.047
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.048
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.049
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.049
- Light Violet #D6B4FC ΔE 0.052
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.054
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.054
Use #BDB5E4 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.