#b9bceb
a light, vivid blue · cool · closest name: Light Steel Blue
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #b9bceb is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Every format
| HEX | #b9bceb |
| RGB | rgb(185, 188, 235) |
| HSL | hsl(236, 56%, 82%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(21%, 20%, 0%, 8%) |
| LAB | lab(77.5 8.7 -23.7) |
| LCH | lch(77.5 25.2 290.2) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.809 0.066 281.9) |
| Decimal | 12172523 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.725 0.737 0.922) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #b9bceb;
background-color: #b9bceb;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#b9bceb] bg-[#b9bceb]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #b9bceb;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.725, green: 0.737, blue: 0.922)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#b9bceb")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFB9BCEB)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(235, 188, 185)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #b9bceb is pinned to step 300; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #F4F4FB;
--brand-100: #E9EAF6;
--brand-200: #CED0EE;
--brand-300: #b9bceb;
--brand-400: #7C82DA;
--brand-500: #5058CD;
--brand-600: #363FBE;
--brand-700: #2D349F;
--brand-800: #242A7F;
--brand-900: #1E225D;
--brand-950: #13153A;
--brand: #b9bceb;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #b9bceb
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
How to use #b9bceb
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠White text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #EBE8B9 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #B9D5EB | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #CFB9EB | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #EBCFB9 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #D5EBB9 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #EBB9BC | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #BCEBB9 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #EBB9D5 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#b9bceb text on a black background
contrast 11.46:1
#b9bceb text on a white background
contrast 1.83:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #b9bceb;
background-color: #b9bceb;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #b9bceb;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(185, 188, 235, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(185, 188, 235, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #b9bceb; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b9bceb, #D7B9EB);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #b9bceb
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Periwinkle (#ccccff) — ΔE2000 4.3 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#b9bceb in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
#b9bceb, answered
What color is #b9bceb?
#b9bceb is a light vivid blue, closest to Light Steel Blue (ΔE2000 9). It sits at 236° on the hue wheel with 56% saturation and 82% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #b9bceb?
rgb(185, 188, 235) — 185 red, 188 green and 235 blue out of 255, or 72.5% / 73.7% / 92.2% by channel.
Is #b9bceb a light or a dark color?
It is a light color. Relative luminance is 0.5228 and perceived brightness is 76%, so black text on it reaches 11.46:1.
Should I use black or white text on #b9bceb?
Black. It scores 11.46:1 against #b9bceb, versus 1.83:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #b9bceb?
#EBE8B9 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #EBCFB9 and #D5EBB9, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #b9bceb?
For interface work: #F4F5FA as the surface, #C0C2ED for borders, #4B4F9B for secondary text, #A37D29 as an accent and #1C2163 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #B9D5EB and #CFB9EB stays calm, while #EBE8B9 is the loudest partner.
What is #b9bceb in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(21%, 20%, 0%, 8%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #b9bceb warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 85 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #C8B9EB; nudged cooler, #B8CCEC.