What color is #BDABC5?

#BDABC5 is a light, muted purple. In RGB it is rgb(189, 171, 197), and in HSL hsl(282, 18%, 72%).

Is #BDABC5 accessible as text?

On white, #BDABC5 has a contrast ratio of 2.14:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.80:1 (passes). For text placed on #BDABC5, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BDABC5?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-400 (#A89EA9).

What colors go well with #BDABC5?

#BDABC5 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #B2C4AB. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BDABC5 below.

Is #BDABC5 good for buttons?

#BDABC5 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #BDABC5 — white text only reaches 2.14:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BDABC5 the same as CSS darkgray?

No — #BDABC5 is not the CSS named color darkgray, but darkgray (#A9A9A9) 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.

#BDABC5 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BDABC5

Not just a swatch — here's how #BDABC5 works with other colors. Named schemes with #BDABC5 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #BDABC5 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

Lilac 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 #BDABC5 Accent #A5C4C5 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #24334B

Lilac 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 #BDABC5 Secondary #AFB4B9 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #8091A8 Anchor #2F3236

Lilac 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 #BDABC5 Secondary #E3DDE6 Support #9C9087 Ink #18140F

Lilac 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 Lilac carrying the quiet middle.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #BDABC5 Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5D203E Accent #E5C2C6 Secondary #332B2F

Lilac sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #BDABC5 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 49/100

Neutral

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

Softness 72/100

High

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

Depth 22/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 29/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 16/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

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

Surface fit 65/100

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 #BDABC5

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BDABC5 with

Lavender Gray Lilac Ash Gray Gainsboro Charcoal

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 8.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F1EFF3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #C4ABC4 — 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 #BDABC5 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: #BDABC5;
  --color-base-rgb: 189 171 197;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(76.5% 0.042 315.5);
  --color-50: #F8F6F9;
  --color-100: #ECE7EE;
  --color-200: #D9CFDE;
  --color-300: #BCACC3;
  --color-400: #9F8AA8;
  --color-500: #816B8A;
  --color-600: #65566C;
  --color-700: #4A404F;
  --color-800: #322C35;
  --color-900: #201C21;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  lilac: {
    50: '#F8F6F9',
    100: '#ECE7EE',
    200: '#D9CFDE',
    300: '#BCACC3',
    400: '#9F8AA8',
    500: '#816B8A',
    600: '#65566C',
    700: '#4A404F',
    800: '#322C35',
    900: '#201C21',
  },
}

$base: #BDABC5;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F8F6F9;
$base-100: #ECE7EE;
$base-200: #D9CFDE;
$base-300: #BCACC3;
$base-400: #9F8AA8;
$base-500: #816B8A;
$base-600: #65566C;
$base-700: #4A404F;
$base-800: #322C35;
$base-900: #201C21;
$base-hover: #9B7FA6;
$base-subtle: #EBE7ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BDABC5",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#ECE7EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D9CFDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BCACC3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9F8AA8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#816B8A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#65566C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4A404F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#322C35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}