#BDBCE9
Closest named color: Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC). oklch(81.1% 0.063 285.9), rgb(189, 188, 233).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.53:1).
About this color
#BDBCE9 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.063 and its hue 286°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC), ΔE 0.033 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.53:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.063) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Periwinkle (#C1C6FC) |
| Black text | 11.53:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDBCE9 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 188, 233) |
| HSL | hsl(241, 51%, 83%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.1% 0.063 285.9) |
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 #BDBCE9 | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDBCE9 | 11.53:1 | AAA | Lc 69.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDBCE9 text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDBCE9 text on black | 11.53:1 | AAA | Lc -68.6 | 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
#F5F5FB
oklch(97.2% 0.008 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E8F6
oklch(93.5% 0.019 286)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D6F0
oklch(88.4% 0.036 285.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDBCE9
oklch(81.1% 0.063 285.9)
-
Step 400
400
#9B97DD
oklch(70.7% 0.101 286.1)
-
Step 500
500
#837CD3
oklch(63% 0.129 285.8)
-
Step 600
600
#6E64C1
oklch(55.7% 0.14 285.8)
-
Step 700
700
#5C52A6
oklch(49% 0.13 286)
-
Step 800
800
#4B4487
oklch(42.8% 0.108 285.6)
-
Step 900
900
#3E3A6C
oklch(37.8% 0.084 285.3)
-
Step 950
950
#24223F
oklch(27% 0.053 285.4)
#BDBCE9 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) | #B1C1EB | 0.019 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B0BFE8 | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B4C3CB | 0.054 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.063 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDBCE9
#BDBCE9
oklch(81.1% 0.063 285.9)
- #C6C495
#C6C495
oklch(81% 0.063 105.7)
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 #BDBCE9, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.033
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.034
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.039
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.039
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.043
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.046
- Light Violet #D6B4FC ΔE 0.052
- Pale Violet #CEAEFA ΔE 0.054
Use #BDBCE9 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.