#BDB8DD
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(79.9% 0.052 291.4), rgb(189, 184, 221).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.06:1).
About this color
#BDB8DD is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.052 and its hue 291°. 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 11.06:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.052) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.06:1 |
| White text | 1.89:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB8DD |
| RGB | rgb(189, 184, 221) |
| HSL | hsl(248, 35%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.9% 0.052 291.4) |
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 #BDB8DD | 1.89:1 | Fails | Lc -40.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB8DD | 11.06:1 | AAA | Lc 67.8 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB8DD text on white | 1.89:1 | Fails | Lc 36.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB8DD text on black | 11.06:1 | AAA | Lc -66.4 | 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)
#BDB8DD
oklch(79.9% 0.052 291.4)
-
Step 400
400
#A198D1
oklch(70.8% 0.083 291.4)
-
Step 500
500
#8A7DC5
oklch(63.1% 0.107 291.3)
-
Step 600
600
#7565B1
oklch(55.5% 0.116 291.9)
-
Step 700
700
#625498
oklch(49.1% 0.107 291.4)
-
Step 800
800
#50457C
oklch(42.7% 0.09 291.3)
-
Step 900
900
#423A63
oklch(37.6% 0.069 291.7)
-
Step 950
950
#27223A
oklch(26.9% 0.044 292.7)
#BDB8DD 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) | #B0BDDF | 0.020 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B0BBDC | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B7BEC4 | 0.045 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BCBCBC | 0.052 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB8DD
#BDB8DD
oklch(79.9% 0.052 291.4)
- #BEC19B
#BEC19B
oklch(79.9% 0.052 111.2)
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 #BDB8DD, 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
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.050
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.052
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.052
Use #BDB8DD 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.