#BDB9DA
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80% 0.046 290.9), rgb(189, 185, 218).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.11:1).
About this color
#BDB9DA is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.046 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 0.031 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.11:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.046) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.11:1 |
| White text | 1.88:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB9DA |
| RGB | rgb(189, 185, 218) |
| HSL | hsl(247, 31%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80% 0.046 290.9) |
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 #BDB9DA | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc -40.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB9DA | 11.11:1 | AAA | Lc 68.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB9DA text on white | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc 35.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB9DA text on black | 11.11:1 | AAA | Lc -66.6 | 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
#F5F5F9
oklch(97.1% 0.005 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E8F2
oklch(93.5% 0.013 290.7)
-
Step 200
200
#D9D7E9
oklch(88.6% 0.025 291)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB9DA
oklch(80% 0.046 290.9)
-
Step 400
400
#A099CC
oklch(70.7% 0.074 290.7)
-
Step 500
500
#897FBF
oklch(63.1% 0.095 290.6)
-
Step 600
600
#7468AB
oklch(55.7% 0.103 290.9)
-
Step 700
700
#615693
oklch(49.1% 0.096 290.7)
-
Step 800
800
#4F4777
oklch(42.8% 0.078 290.3)
-
Step 900
900
#423B60
oklch(37.6% 0.063 291.8)
-
Step 950
950
#262338
oklch(27% 0.039 290.1)
#BDB9DA 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) | #B2BDDC | 0.017 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2BCD9 | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B7BEC4 | 0.040 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BCBCBC | 0.047 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB9DA
#BDB9DA
oklch(80% 0.046 290.9)
- #BEC19F
#BEC19F
oklch(80% 0.046 111.5)
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 #BDB9DA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.031
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.032
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.040
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.043
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.044
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.047
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.048
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
Use #BDB9DA 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.