#BDBDE1
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81% 0.05 285.2), rgb(189, 189, 225).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.53:1).
About this color
#BDBDE1 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.050 and its hue 285°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.53:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.050) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.53:1 |
| White text | 1.82:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDBDE1 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 189, 225) |
| HSL | hsl(240, 37%, 81%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.05 285.2) |
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 #BDBDE1 | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc -38.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDBDE1 | 11.53:1 | AAA | Lc 69.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDBDE1 text on white | 1.82:1 | Fails | Lc 34.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDBDE1 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
#F5F5FA
oklch(97.2% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F4
oklch(93.6% 0.015 281.9)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D7EB
oklch(88.5% 0.027 285.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDBDE1
oklch(81% 0.05 285.2)
-
Step 400
400
#9B9AD1
oklch(70.7% 0.08 285)
-
Step 500
500
#8380C5
oklch(63.1% 0.103 285)
-
Step 600
600
#6D68B2
oklch(55.5% 0.113 285.2)
-
Step 700
700
#5C5799
oklch(49.2% 0.104 285.4)
-
Step 800
800
#4B477C
oklch(42.7% 0.086 285.6)
-
Step 900
900
#3E3C64
oklch(37.7% 0.068 285)
-
Step 950
950
#24233A
oklch(26.9% 0.042 285.2)
#BDBDE1 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) | #B4C1E3 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B3BFE0 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B6C3C9 | 0.044 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.050 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDBDE1
#BDBDE1
oklch(81% 0.05 285.2)
- #C5C39E
#C5C39E
oklch(80.9% 0.05 104.9)
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 #BDBDE1, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.026
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.030
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.032
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.040
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.041
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.047
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.050
- Silver #C0C0C0 ΔE 0.050
Use #BDBDE1 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.