#BDB9DC
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80% 0.049 290.5), rgb(189, 185, 220).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.13:1).
About this color
#BDB9DC is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.049 and its hue 290°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.032 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.13:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.049) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.13:1 |
| White text | 1.88:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDB9DC |
| RGB | rgb(189, 185, 220) |
| HSL | hsl(247, 33%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80% 0.049 290.5) |
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 #BDB9DC | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc -40.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDB9DC | 11.13:1 | AAA | Lc 68.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDB9DC text on white | 1.88:1 | Fails | Lc 35.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDB9DC text on black | 11.13:1 | AAA | Lc -66.7 | 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
#F5F5FA
oklch(97.2% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E8F3
oklch(93.5% 0.015 290.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D8D6EA
oklch(88.4% 0.027 290.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDB9DC
oklch(80% 0.049 290.5)
-
Step 400
400
#A098CF
oklch(70.6% 0.08 290.9)
-
Step 500
500
#897EC2
oklch(63% 0.101 290.6)
-
Step 600
600
#7367AE
oklch(55.6% 0.108 290.2)
-
Step 700
700
#615596
oklch(49.1% 0.102 290.6)
-
Step 800
800
#4F467A
oklch(42.7% 0.085 290.3)
-
Step 900
900
#413B62
oklch(37.7% 0.066 289.9)
-
Step 950
950
#262339
oklch(27% 0.04 289.7)
#BDB9DC 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) | #B1BDDE | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B1BCDB | 0.018 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B7BEC5 | 0.041 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BDBDBD | 0.049 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDB9DC
#BDB9DC
oklch(80% 0.049 290.5)
- #BFC19D
#BFC19D
oklch(80% 0.049 110.1)
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 #BDB9DC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.032
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.033
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.041
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.044
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.045
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.050
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.050
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.050
Use #BDB9DC 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.