Color #BCB9BB Color / Colour Code #BCB9BB
This page shows the hex color code for color #bcb9bb (#BCB9BB). The colour is a pink tone with 2% saturation and 73% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BCB9BB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BCB9BB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 290, 320, and 350 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 320, 80, and 200 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BCB9BB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 320 and saturation at 2%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 320 to 5 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 320 with its complement at 140 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #BCB9BB
Lightness variations at hue 320 and 2% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BCB9BB
Design Use Cases for #BCB9BB
Neutral Foundation Color
#BCB9BB has almost no saturation (2%), making it an excellent neutral. Use it for page backgrounds, card surfaces, divider lines, and any element that should recede visually. Neutrals like this form the foundation of every professional design system.
Light Background Tint
#BCB9BB at 73% lightness creates a gentle tinted background. Use it for section backgrounds, alert banners, or card surfaces that need to stand out from a white page without strong contrast. It adds color personality while keeping the design light and open.
Playfulness & Compassion
#BCB9BB is in the pink range (hue 320). Pink ranges from energetic to gentle depending on saturation and lightness. Use it for beauty and cosmetics branding, social app interfaces, Valentine's themes, and youth-oriented design. Desaturated pinks work well as soft background tints.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #BCB9BB (hue 320) to its complement at hue 140. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 350. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bcb9bb, #b9bcba);
CSS Code for #BCB9BB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BCB9BB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BCB9BB across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BCB9BB (#BCB9BB)
#BCB9BB is a pink color (colour) with RGB channel values of 188 red, 185 green, and 187 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 320 degrees with 2% saturation and 73% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BCB9BB is 186/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 2% magenta, 1% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BCB9BB against white is 1.95:1 and against black is 10.80:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 10.80:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #B9BCBA creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BCB9BB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BBB9BC and #BCB9B9, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #BCB9BB
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #BCB9BB?
- #BCB9BB is Color #BCB9BB, a pink color (colour) with RGB(188, 185, 187), HSL(320, 2%, 73%), and CMYK(0%, 2%, 1%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 186/255.
- Is #BCB9BB accessible for text?
- Against white, #BCB9BB has a contrast ratio of 1.95:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 10.80:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BCB9BB?
- The complementary colour is #B9BCBA (hue 140). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BBB9BC and #BCB9B9. The triadic palette adds #BBBCB9 and #B9BBBC for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BCB9BB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bcb9bb; or rgb(188, 185, 187); or hsl(320, 2%, 73%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 320 2% 73%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.