What color is #BCBAD3?

#BCBAD3 is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(188, 186, 211), and in HSL hsl(245, 22%, 78%).

Is #BCBAD3 accessible as text?

On white, #BCBAD3 has a contrast ratio of 1.89:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.10:1 (passes). For text placed on #BCBAD3, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BCBAD3?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is slate-300 (#CAD5E2).

What colors go well with #BCBAD3?

As a neutral, #BCBAD3 pairs cleanly with charcoal, near-black and dark grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a soft background and let the accent carry the color.

Is #BCBAD3 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #BCBAD3 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#BCBAD3 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BCBAD3

Not just a swatch — here's how #BCBAD3 works with other colors. Named schemes with #BCBAD3 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #BCBAD3 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 Ink #2C2724

Light Steel Blue sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #BCBAD3 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

Light Steel Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #BCBAD3 Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7F92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Light Steel Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #BCBAD3 Secondary #EAE9F3 Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Light Steel Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Light Steel Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #BCBAD3 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #E3E1F8

Light Steel Blue is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Light Steel Blue.

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Color Lab

How #BCBAD3 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 45/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 76/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 19/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 25/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 18/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 70/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BCBAD3

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BCBAD3 with

Gainsboro Thistle Pastel Gray Onyx

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 9.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F2F2F6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #C5BBD3 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #BCBAD3 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #BCBAD3;
  --color-base-rgb: 188 186 211;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(79.8% 0.035 289.3);
  --color-50: #F6F6F9;
  --color-100: #E7E6EF;
  --color-200: #CFCDDF;
  --color-300: #ACA9C6;
  --color-400: #8A87AB;
  --color-500: #6A678E;
  --color-600: #55536F;
  --color-700: #403F50;
  --color-800: #2C2B36;
  --color-900: #1C1C22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F6F6F9',
    100: '#E7E6EF',
    200: '#CFCDDF',
    300: '#ACA9C6',
    400: '#8A87AB',
    500: '#6A678E',
    600: '#55536F',
    700: '#403F50',
    800: '#2C2B36',
    900: '#1C1C22',
  },
}

$base: #BCBAD3;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F6F9;
$base-100: #E7E6EF;
$base-200: #CFCDDF;
$base-300: #ACA9C6;
$base-400: #8A87AB;
$base-500: #6A678E;
$base-600: #55536F;
$base-700: #403F50;
$base-800: #2C2B36;
$base-900: #1C1C22;
$base-hover: #8E8AB4;
$base-subtle: #ECEBF1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BCBAD3",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7E6EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CFCDDF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ACA9C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8A87AB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6A678E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#55536F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#403F50",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C2B36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1C22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #BCBAD3

Color Lab

Pairs with #BCBAD3

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export