#BDBCD9
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(80.5% 0.041 287), rgb(189, 188, 217).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.35:1).
About this color
#BDBCD9 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.041 and its hue 287°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.35:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.041) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.35:1 |
| White text | 1.84:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDBCD9 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 188, 217) |
| HSL | hsl(242, 28%, 79%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.5% 0.041 287) |
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 #BDBCD9 | 1.84:1 | Fails | Lc -39.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDBCD9 | 11.35:1 | AAA | Lc 69.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDBCD9 text on white | 1.84:1 | Fails | Lc 34.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDBCD9 text on black | 11.35:1 | AAA | Lc -67.8 | 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
#E9E9F2
oklch(93.7% 0.012 286.2)
-
Step 200
200
#D8D7E8
oklch(88.5% 0.023 288.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDBCD9
oklch(80.5% 0.041 287)
-
Step 400
400
#9D9BC8
oklch(70.7% 0.065 286.6)
-
Step 500
500
#8682BA
oklch(63.2% 0.083 287)
-
Step 600
600
#706BA6
oklch(55.7% 0.09 287)
-
Step 700
700
#5E598E
oklch(49.2% 0.084 287.2)
-
Step 800
800
#4C4973
oklch(42.7% 0.069 286.4)
-
Step 900
900
#403D5D
oklch(37.7% 0.054 287.8)
-
Step 950
950
#252436
oklch(27% 0.033 286.5)
#BDBCD9 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) | #B5BFDA | 0.012 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B5BED8 | 0.012 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B7C1C5 | 0.037 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #BEBEBE | 0.041 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDBCD9
#BDBCD9
oklch(80.5% 0.041 287)
- #C2C2A4
#C2C2A4
oklch(80.6% 0.041 107.3)
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 #BDBCD9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.025
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.026
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.033
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.040
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.041
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.043
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.047
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.048
Use #BDBCD9 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.