#BDC9EC
Closest named color: Light Blue Grey (#B7C9E2). oklch(83.8% 0.051 270.4), rgb(189, 201, 236).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.72:1).
About this color
#BDC9EC is a light, muted blue. In OKLCH its lightness is 84%, its chroma 0.051 and its hue 270°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Light Blue Grey (#B7C9E2), ΔE 0.017 away. Black text reads best on it, at 12.72:1.
| Hue family | Blues |
| Lightness | light (84%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.051) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Light Blue Grey (#B7C9E2) |
| Black text | 12.72:1 |
| White text | 1.64:1 |
Values
| HEX | #BDC9EC |
| RGB | rgb(189, 201, 236) |
| HSL | hsl(225, 55%, 83%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(83.8% 0.051 270.4) |
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 #BDC9EC | 1.64:1 | Fails | Lc -32.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #BDC9EC | 12.72:1 | AAA | Lc 75.1 | Fine for body text |
| #BDC9EC text on white | 1.64:1 | Fails | Lc 28.8 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #BDC9EC text on black | 12.72:1 | AAA | Lc -74.1 | 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
#F4F5FA
oklch(97.1% 0.007 277.2)
-
Step 100
100
#E6EAF4
oklch(93.7% 0.014 268.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D2D9EC
oklch(88.6% 0.027 269.6)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#BDC9EC
oklch(83.8% 0.051 270.4)
-
Step 400
400
#8D9ED4
oklch(70.6% 0.082 270.7)
-
Step 500
500
#7186C9
oklch(63.2% 0.104 270)
-
Step 600
600
#5A6EB5
oklch(55.5% 0.113 270.5)
-
Step 700
700
#4A5C9C
oklch(49.1% 0.105 270.3)
-
Step 800
800
#3D4B7E
oklch(42.6% 0.087 270.8)
-
Step 900
900
#343F66
oklch(37.7% 0.069 270.9)
-
Step 950
950
#1E253C
oklch(27% 0.044 270.3)
#BDC9EC 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) | #BFCCEE | 0.008 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #BBC8EB | 0.004 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #B2D0D4 | 0.047 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C9C9C9 | 0.051 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #BDC9EC
#BDC9EC
oklch(83.8% 0.051 270.4)
- #D6C9A5
#D6C9A5
oklch(83.7% 0.05 90.5)
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 #BDC9EC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Light Blue Grey #B7C9E2 ΔE 0.017
- Light Periwinkle #C1C6FC ΔE 0.027
- Light Steel Blue #B0C4DE ΔE 0.029
- Baby Blue #A2CFFE ΔE 0.038
- Cloudy Blue #ACC2D9 ΔE 0.038
- Thistle #D8BFD8 ΔE 0.045
- Light Blue #ADD8E6 ΔE 0.046
- Cadet Gray #CED4DA ΔE 0.050
Use #BDC9EC 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.