#b9b3cd
a light, soft blue · cool · closest name: Thistle
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #b9b3cd 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 | #b9b3cd |
| RGB | rgb(185, 179, 205) |
| HSL | hsl(254, 21%, 75%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(10%, 13%, 0%, 20%) |
| LAB | lab(74.2 7.2 -12.4) |
| LCH | lch(74.2 14.3 300.0) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.780 0.037 296.1) |
| Decimal | 12170189 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.725 0.702 0.804) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #b9b3cd;
background-color: #b9b3cd;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#b9b3cd] bg-[#b9b3cd]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #b9b3cd;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.725, green: 0.702, blue: 0.804)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#b9b3cd")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFFB9B3CD)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(205, 179, 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. #b9b3cd 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: #F7F6F9;
--brand-100: #EEEDF2;
--brand-200: #DBD8E4;
--brand-300: #b9b3cd;
--brand-400: #A19ABC;
--brand-500: #8278A6;
--brand-600: #6D6194;
--brand-700: #5B517B;
--brand-800: #494162;
--brand-900: #373249;
--brand-950: #221F2D;
--brand: #b9b3cd;
--brand-ink: #000000;
}Colors that work with #b9b3cd
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 #b9b3cd
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Text and icons on dark surfaces
- ✓Charts, tags and secondary surfaces
- ✓Card and section backgrounds
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
- ⚠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 | #C7CDB3 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #B3BACD | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #C6B3CD | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #CDC6B3 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #BACDB3 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #CDB9B3 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #B3CDB9 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #CDB3BA | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#b9b3cd text on a black background
contrast 10.39:1
#b9b3cd text on a white background
contrast 2.02:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #b9b3cd;
background-color: #b9b3cd;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #b9b3cd;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(185, 179, 205, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(185, 179, 205, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #b9b3cd; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #b9b3cd, #CAB3CD);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #b9b3cd
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: Thistle (#d8bfd8) — ΔE2000 7.8 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#b9b3cd 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.
#b9b3cd, answered
What color is #b9b3cd?
#b9b3cd is a light soft blue, closest to Thistle (ΔE2000 7.8). It sits at 254° on the hue wheel with 21% saturation and 75% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #b9b3cd?
rgb(185, 179, 205) — 185 red, 179 green and 205 blue out of 255, or 72.5% / 70.2% / 80.4% by channel.
Is #b9b3cd a light or a dark color?
It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.4696 and perceived brightness is 72%, so black text on it reaches 10.39:1.
Should I use black or white text on #b9b3cd?
Black. It scores 10.39:1 against #b9b3cd, versus 2.02:1 for white — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #b9b3cd?
#C7CDB3 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #CDC6B3 and #BACDB3, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #b9b3cd?
For interface work: #F6F6F9 as the surface, #D2CEDF for borders, #665B8A for secondary text, #7F7E4D as an accent and #39334D for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #B3BACD and #C6B3CD stays calm, while #C7CDB3 is the loudest partner.
What is #b9b3cd in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(10%, 13%, 0%, 20%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #b9b3cd warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 65 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #C3B3CD; nudged cooler, #B2B6CE.