What color is #BCBAD4?

#BCBAD4 is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(188, 186, 212), and in HSL hsl(245, 23%, 78%).

Is #BCBAD4 accessible as text?

On white, #BCBAD4 has a contrast ratio of 1.89:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.11:1 (passes). For text placed on #BCBAD4, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BCBAD4?

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

What colors go well with #BCBAD4?

As a neutral, #BCBAD4 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 #BCBAD4 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #BCBAD4 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.

#BCBAD4 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BCBAD4

Not just a swatch — here's how #BCBAD4 works with other colors. Named schemes with #BCBAD4 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #BCBAD4 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #BCBAD4 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 #BCBAD4 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #BCBAD4 Secondary #EAEAF3 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 #BCBAD4 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #E3E1F9

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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #BCBAD4 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 44/100

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 #BCBAD4

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BCBAD4 with

Gainsboro Thistle Pastel Gray Gunmetal Gray

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 #C5BAD4 — 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 #BCBAD4 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

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: #BCBAD4;
  --color-base-rgb: 188 186 212;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(79.9% 0.036 289.1);
  --color-50: #F6F5F9;
  --color-100: #E6E6F0;
  --color-200: #CECDE0;
  --color-300: #ABA9C6;
  --color-400: #8986AC;
  --color-500: #6A668F;
  --color-600: #55536F;
  --color-700: #403E51;
  --color-800: #2C2B36;
  --color-900: #1C1B22;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F6F5F9',
    100: '#E6E6F0',
    200: '#CECDE0',
    300: '#ABA9C6',
    400: '#8986AC',
    500: '#6A668F',
    600: '#55536F',
    700: '#403E51',
    800: '#2C2B36',
    900: '#1C1B22',
  },
}

$base: #BCBAD4;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F6F5F9;
$base-100: #E6E6F0;
$base-200: #CECDE0;
$base-300: #ABA9C6;
$base-400: #8986AC;
$base-500: #6A668F;
$base-600: #55536F;
$base-700: #403E51;
$base-800: #2C2B36;
$base-900: #1C1B22;
$base-hover: #8D89B5;
$base-subtle: #ECEBF1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BCBAD4",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F5F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E6F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CECDE0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ABA9C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8986AC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6A668F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#55536F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#403E51",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C2B36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1B22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #BCBAD4

Color Lab

Pairs with #BCBAD4

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export