Color #BDB6DC Color / Colour Code #BDB6DC
This page shows the hex color code for color #bdb6dc (#BDB6DC). The colour is a blue tone with 35% saturation and 79% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BDB6DC against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BDB6DC paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 221, 251, and 281 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 251, 11, and 131 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BDB6DC
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 251 and saturation at 35%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 251 to 296 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 251 with its complement at 71 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 #BDB6DC
Lightness variations at hue 251 and 35% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BDB6DC
Design Use Cases for #BDB6DC
Balanced UI Color
At 35% saturation, #BDB6DC strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Light Background Tint
#BDB6DC at 79% 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.
Trust & Professional Identity
#BDB6DC sits in the blue range (hue 251). Blue is the world's most popular color for corporate identities because it conveys trust, stability, and competence. Use it for navigation bars, link text, form focus states, and any element where user confidence matters. Financial, healthcare, and technology brands rely heavily on this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #BDB6DC (hue 251) to its complement at hue 71. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 281. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bdb6dc, #d5dcb7);
CSS Code for #BDB6DC
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BDB6DC based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BDB6DC across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BDB6DC (#BDB6DC)
#BDB6DC is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 189 red, 182 green, and 220 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 251 degrees with 35% saturation and 79% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BDB6DC is 188/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This means it appears bright to the human eye and is best paired with dark text for readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 14% cyan, 17% magenta, 0% yellow, and 14% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BDB6DC against white is 1.93:1 and against black is 10.89:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 10.89:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #D5DCB7 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BDB6DC. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #B7C3DC and #D0B7DC, 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 #BDB6DC
- 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 #BDB6DC?
- #BDB6DC is Color #BDB6DC, a blue color (colour) with RGB(189, 182, 220), HSL(251, 35%, 79%), and CMYK(14%, 17%, 0%, 14%). Its perceived brightness is 188/255.
- Is #BDB6DC accessible for text?
- Against white, #BDB6DC has a contrast ratio of 1.93:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 10.89:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BDB6DC?
- The complementary colour is #D5DCB7 (hue 71). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #B7C3DC and #D0B7DC. The triadic palette adds #DCBEB7 and #B7DCBE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BDB6DC in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bdb6dc; or rgb(189, 182, 220); or hsl(251, 35%, 79%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 251 35% 79%; 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.