What color is #BDCAE0?

#BDCAE0 is a light low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(189, 202, 224), and in HSL hsl(218, 36%, 81%).

Is #BDCAE0 accessible as text?

On white, #BDCAE0 has a contrast ratio of 1.66:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.69:1 (passes). For text placed on #BDCAE0, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #BDCAE0?

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

What colors go well with #BDCAE0?

As a neutral, #BDCAE0 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 #BDCAE0 the same as CSS lightsteelblue?

No — #BDCAE0 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.

#BDCAE0 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #BDCAE0

Not just a swatch — here's how #BDCAE0 works with other colors. Named schemes with #BDCAE0 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #BDCAE0 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A6 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 #BDCAE0 Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF 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 #BDCAE0 Surface #EBEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 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 #BDCAE0 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #E5F1FF

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 #BDCAE0 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.

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Color Lab

How #BDCAE0 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 41/100

Neutral

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

Softness 79/100

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 25/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 21/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 13/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 12/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 74/100

High

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

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #BDCAE0

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #BDCAE0 with

Gainsboro Thistle Bone 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 #F3F5F8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #BDBEE0 — 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 #BDCAE0 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: #BDCAE0;
  --color-base-rgb: 189 202 224;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(83.6% 0.034 261.0);
  --color-50: #F4F7FA;
  --color-100: #E3E9F2;
  --color-200: #C8D2E5;
  --color-300: #A0B1CF;
  --color-400: #7B91B7;
  --color-500: #5B729A;
  --color-600: #4A5B77;
  --color-700: #394456;
  --color-800: #282E39;
  --color-900: #1A1D23;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  light-steel-blue: {
    50: '#F4F7FA',
    100: '#E3E9F2',
    200: '#C8D2E5',
    300: '#A0B1CF',
    400: '#7B91B7',
    500: '#5B729A',
    600: '#4A5B77',
    700: '#394456',
    800: '#282E39',
    900: '#1A1D23',
  },
}

$base: #BDCAE0;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F7FA;
$base-100: #E3E9F2;
$base-200: #C8D2E5;
$base-300: #A0B1CF;
$base-400: #7B91B7;
$base-500: #5B729A;
$base-600: #4A5B77;
$base-700: #394456;
$base-800: #282E39;
$base-900: #1A1D23;
$base-hover: #859DC6;
$base-subtle: #ECEFF4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#BDCAE0",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F7FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3E9F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8D2E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A0B1CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7B91B7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5B729A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4A5B77",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#394456",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#282E39",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1D23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #BDCAE0

Color Lab

Pairs with #BDCAE0

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export