#BDB8DC
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(79.8% 0.051 291.6), rgb(189, 184, 220).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.05:1).
About this color
#BDB8DC is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.051 and its hue 292°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.034 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.05:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.051) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.05:1 |
| White text | 1.89:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB8DC |
| RGB | rgb(189, 184, 220) |
| HSL | hsl(248, 34%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.8% 0.051 291.6) |
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 #BDB8DC | 1.89:1 | Fails | Lc -40.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB8DC | 11.05:1 | AAA | Lc 67.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB8DC text on white | 1.89:1 | Fails | Lc 36.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB8DC text on black | 11.05:1 | AAA | Lc -66.3 | 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
#F5F5FA
oklch(97.2% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#EAE8F3
oklch(93.6% 0.015 294.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D9D6EB
oklch(88.5% 0.029 292.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB8DC
oklch(79.8% 0.051 291.6)
-
Step 400
400
#A198D0
oklch(70.8% 0.081 291.5)
-
Step 500
500
#8A7EC3
oklch(63.1% 0.103 291.1)
-
Step 600
600
#7566B0
oklch(55.7% 0.113 291.6)
-
Step 700
700
#625497
oklch(49% 0.105 291.6)
-
Step 800
800
#50457A
oklch(42.6% 0.087 291.8)
-
Step 900
900
#423B63
oklch(37.8% 0.067 290.8)
-
Step 950
950
#27223A
oklch(26.9% 0.044 292.7)
#BDB8DC 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) | #B0BDDE | 0.020 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B0BBDB | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B7BDC4 | 0.042 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BCBCBC | 0.051 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB8DC
#BDB8DC
oklch(79.8% 0.051 291.6)
- #BEC19C
#BEC19C
oklch(79.9% 0.05 111.3)
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 #BDB8DC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.034
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.035
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.043
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.045
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.046
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.051
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.051
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.052
Use #BDB8DC 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.