#BDBDE5
Closest named color: Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE). oklch(81.2% 0.056 285.1), rgb(189, 189, 229).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.57:1).
About this color
#BDBDE5 is a light, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.056 and its hue 285°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.57:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.056) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Steel Blue (#B0C4DE) |
| Black text | 11.57:1 |
| White text | 1.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDBDE5 |
| RGB | rgb(189, 189, 229) |
| HSL | hsl(240, 43%, 82%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81.2% 0.056 285.1) |
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 #BDBDE5 | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc -37.9 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDBDE5 | 11.57:1 | AAA | Lc 70.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| #BDBDE5 text on white | 1.81:1 | Fails | Lc 33.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #BDBDE5 text on black | 11.57:1 | AAA | Lc -68.8 | 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
#F5F5FA
oklch(97.2% 0.007 286.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E8E9F5
oklch(93.7% 0.016 282.3)
-
Step 200
200
#D6D7EE
oklch(88.5% 0.031 283.8)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDBDE5
oklch(81.2% 0.056 285.1)
-
Step 400
400
#9A99D7
oklch(70.7% 0.09 284.6)
-
Step 500
500
#837FCC
oklch(63.2% 0.114 285)
-
Step 600
600
#6D67B9
oklch(55.7% 0.125 284.9)
-
Step 700
700
#5B559F
oklch(49.1% 0.116 285)
-
Step 800
800
#4A4681
oklch(42.7% 0.096 284.7)
-
Step 900
900
#3E3B67
oklch(37.7% 0.074 285.4)
-
Step 950
950
#24233D
oklch(27.1% 0.048 284.5)
#BDBDE5 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) | #B3C1E7 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B2BFE4 | 0.015 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B5C4CA | 0.050 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C0C0C0 | 0.056 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDBDE5
#BDBDE5
oklch(81.2% 0.056 285.1)
- #C6C49A
#C6C49A
oklch(81.1% 0.056 105.3)
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 #BDBDE5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.029
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.034
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.034
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.036
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.043
- Pastel Blue #A2BFFE ΔE 0.047
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.050
- Light Cornflower Blue #98C1D9 ΔE 0.053
Use #BDBDE5 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.