#BDB5E7
Closest named color: Pale Violet (#CEAEFA). oklch(79.7% 0.071 292.1), rgb(189, 181, 231).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.92:1).
About this color
#BDB5E7 is a light, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.071 and its hue 292°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pale Violet (#CEAEFA), ΔE 0.044 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.92:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.071) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Pale Violet (#CEAEFA) |
| Black text | 10.92:1 |
| White text | 1.92:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB5E7 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 181, 231) |
| HSL | hsl(250, 51%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.7% 0.071 292.1) |
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 #BDB5E7 | 1.92:1 | Fails | Lc -41.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB5E7 | 10.92:1 | AAA | Lc 67.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB5E7 text on white | 1.92:1 | Fails | Lc 36.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB5E7 text on black | 10.92:1 | AAA | Lc -65.7 | 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
#EAE8F7
oklch(93.7% 0.02 292.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D9D5F2
oklch(88.5% 0.04 291.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB5E7
oklch(79.7% 0.071 292.1)
-
Step 400
400
#A293E1
oklch(70.7% 0.113 292.1)
-
Step 500
500
#8C77D9
oklch(63.2% 0.144 291.6)
-
Step 600
600
#775DC6
oklch(55.5% 0.157 291.9)
-
Step 700
700
#654CAB
oklch(49.1% 0.146 292.3)
-
Step 800
800
#523F8A
oklch(42.7% 0.12 292.2)
-
Step 900
900
#43366F
oklch(37.6% 0.095 291.7)
-
Step 950
950
#272041
oklch(26.9% 0.06 291.6)
#BDB5E7 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) | #AABCE9 | 0.029 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AABAE6 | 0.028 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B5BDC6 | 0.060 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BBBBBB | 0.071 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB5E7
#BDB5E7
oklch(79.7% 0.071 292.1)
- #BDC28D
#BDC28D
oklch(79.7% 0.071 112.4)
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 #BDB5E7, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.044
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.046
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.047
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.048
- Light Violet #D6B4FC ΔE 0.049
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.050
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.056
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.056
Use #BDB5E7 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.