What color is #BCBDF5?

#BCBDF5 is a pale, soft blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(188, 189, 245), and in HSL hsl(239, 74%, 85%).

Is #BCBDF5 accessible as text?

On white, #BCBDF5 has a contrast ratio of 1.79:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.74:1 (passes). For text placed on #BCBDF5, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BCBDF5?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is violet-300 (#C4B4FF).

What colors go well with #BCBDF5?

#BCBDF5 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #F5F4BC. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BCBDF5 below.

Is #BCBDF5 good for buttons?

#BCBDF5 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #BCBDF5 — white text only reaches 1.79:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BCBDF5 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #BCBDF5 is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#BCBDF5 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BCBDF5

Not just a swatch — here's how #BCBDF5 works with other colors. Named schemes with #BCBDF5 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #BCBDF5 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 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 #BCBDF5 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 #BCBDF5 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #EAD5BF 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 #BCBDF5 Secondary #EEEFFF 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 #BCBDF5 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #E3E5FF

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 #BCBDF5 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 36/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 70/100

High

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

Depth 18/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 39/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 25/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 30/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 21/100

Low

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

Surface fit 59/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 89/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BCBDF5

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BCBDF5 with

Powder Blue Mauve Buttercream Gainsboro Prussian Blue

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 10.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F3F3FB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #CEBCF5 — 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 #BCBDF5 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #BCBDF5;
  --color-base-rgb: 188 189 245;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.7% 0.079 283.7);
  --color-50: #F1F1FE;
  --color-100: #DBDBFB;
  --color-200: #B8B9F4;
  --color-300: #8889E7;
  --color-400: #5C5ED6;
  --color-500: #393BBC;
  --color-600: #33348F;
  --color-700: #2A2B65;
  --color-800: #1F1F42;
  --color-900: #151529;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F1F1FE',
    100: '#DBDBFB',
    200: '#B8B9F4',
    300: '#8889E7',
    400: '#5C5ED6',
    500: '#393BBC',
    600: '#33348F',
    700: '#2A2B65',
    800: '#1F1F42',
    900: '#151529',
  },
}

$base: #BCBDF5;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1F1FE;
$base-100: #DBDBFB;
$base-200: #B8B9F4;
$base-300: #8889E7;
$base-400: #5C5ED6;
$base-500: #393BBC;
$base-600: #33348F;
$base-700: #2A2B65;
$base-800: #1F1F42;
$base-900: #151529;
$base-hover: #7173EA;
$base-subtle: #EDEDFA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BCBDF5",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F1FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBDBFB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B8B9F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8889E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5C5ED6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#393BBC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#33348F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2A2B65",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F1F42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#151529",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}