Color #BDBCDC Color / Colour Code #BDBCDC
This page shows the hex color code for color #bdbcdc (#BDBCDC). The colour is a blue tone with 31% saturation and 80% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BDBCDC against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BDBCDC paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 212, 242, and 272 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 242, 2, and 122 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BDBCDC
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 242 and saturation at 31%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 242 to 287 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 242 with its complement at 62 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 #BDBCDC
Lightness variations at hue 242 and 31% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BDBCDC
Design Use Cases for #BDBCDC
Balanced UI Color
At 31% saturation, #BDBCDC 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
#BDBCDC at 80% 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
#BDBCDC sits in the blue range (hue 242). 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 #BDBCDC (hue 242) to its complement at hue 62. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 272. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bdbcdc, #dbdcbc);
CSS Code for #BDBCDC
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BDBCDC based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BDBCDC across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BDBCDC (#BDBCDC)
#BDBCDC is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 189 red, 188 green, and 220 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 242 degrees with 31% saturation and 80% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BDBCDC is 192/255 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, 15% magenta, 0% yellow, and 14% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BDBCDC against white is 1.84:1 and against black is 11.39:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 11.39:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #DBDCBC creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BDBCDC. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BCCBDC and #CDBCDC, 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 #BDBCDC
- 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 #BDBCDC?
- #BDBCDC is Color #BDBCDC, a blue color (colour) with RGB(189, 188, 220), HSL(242, 31%, 80%), and CMYK(14%, 15%, 0%, 14%). Its perceived brightness is 192/255.
- Is #BDBCDC accessible for text?
- Against white, #BDBCDC has a contrast ratio of 1.84:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 11.39:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BDBCDC?
- The complementary colour is #DBDCBC (hue 62). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BCCBDC and #CDBCDC. The triadic palette adds #DCBDBC and #BCDCBD for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BDBCDC in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bdbcdc; or rgb(189, 188, 220); or hsl(242, 31%, 80%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 242 31% 80%; 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.