What color is #BDC8ED?

#BDC8ED is a pale, soft blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(189, 200, 237), and in HSL hsl(226, 57%, 84%).

Is #BDC8ED accessible as text?

On white, #BDC8ED has a contrast ratio of 1.66:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.65:1 (passes). For text placed on #BDC8ED, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BDC8ED?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-200 (#C6D2FF).

What colors go well with #BDC8ED?

#BDC8ED pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EDE3BF. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #BDC8ED below.

Is #BDC8ED good for buttons?

#BDC8ED works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #BDC8ED — white text only reaches 1.66:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #BDC8ED the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #BDC8ED is not the CSS named color lightsteelblue, but lightsteelblue (#B0C4DE) is the closest CSS named color.

#BDC8ED Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BDC8ED

Not just a swatch — here's how #BDC8ED works with other colors. Named schemes with #BDC8ED in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #BDC8ED 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #BDC8ED Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #BDC8ED Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #BDC8ED Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #E5EFFF

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #BDC8ED Secondary #F3F7FF Support #9D8F88 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #BDC8ED 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 38/100

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 16/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 30/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 22/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 21/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 14/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 68/100

High

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

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BDC8ED

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BDC8ED with

Pale Turquoise Thistle Pearl 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 11.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #F3F5FA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #C4BFED — 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 #BDC8ED 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: #BDC8ED;
  --color-base-rgb: 189 200 237;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(83.6% 0.053 272.2);
  --color-50: #F3F5FC;
  --color-100: #DEE4F7;
  --color-200: #BFCAED;
  --color-300: #93A4DC;
  --color-400: #6A80C8;
  --color-500: #4860AD;
  --color-600: #3D4E84;
  --color-700: #303B5E;
  --color-800: #23293E;
  --color-900: #171A26;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F3F5FC',
    100: '#DEE4F7',
    200: '#BFCAED',
    300: '#93A4DC',
    400: '#6A80C8',
    500: '#4860AD',
    600: '#3D4E84',
    700: '#303B5E',
    800: '#23293E',
    900: '#171A26',
  },
}

$base: #BDC8ED;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3F5FC;
$base-100: #DEE4F7;
$base-200: #BFCAED;
$base-300: #93A4DC;
$base-400: #6A80C8;
$base-500: #4860AD;
$base-600: #3D4E84;
$base-700: #303B5E;
$base-800: #23293E;
$base-900: #171A26;
$base-hover: #7C92DB;
$base-subtle: #EDF0F8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BDC8ED",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F5FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEE4F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BFCAED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#93A4DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6A80C8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4860AD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3D4E84",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#303B5E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23293E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171A26",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #BDC8ED

Color Lab

Pairs with #BDC8ED

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export