Color #BDC3E5 Color / Colour Code #BDC3E5
This page shows the hex color code for color #bdc3e5 (#BDC3E5). The colour is a blue tone with 43% saturation and 82% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BDC3E5 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BDC3E5 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 201, 231, and 261 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 231, 351, and 111 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BDC3E5
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 231 and saturation at 43%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 231 to 276 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 231 with its complement at 51 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 #BDC3E5
Lightness variations at hue 231 and 43% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BDC3E5
Design Use Cases for #BDC3E5
Balanced UI Color
At 43% saturation, #BDC3E5 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
#BDC3E5 at 82% 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
#BDC3E5 sits in the blue range (hue 231). 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 #BDC3E5 (hue 231) to its complement at hue 51. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 261. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bdc3e5, #e5dfbd);
CSS Code for #BDC3E5
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BDC3E5 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BDC3E5 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BDC3E5 (#BDC3E5)
#BDC3E5 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 189 red, 195 green, and 229 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 231 degrees with 43% saturation and 82% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BDC3E5 is 197/255 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 17% cyan, 15% magenta, 0% yellow, and 10% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BDC3E5 against white is 1.74:1 and against black is 12.10:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 12.10:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #E5DFBD creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BDC3E5. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BDD7E5 and #CBBDE5, 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 #BDC3E5
- 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 #BDC3E5?
- #BDC3E5 is Color #BDC3E5, a blue color (colour) with RGB(189, 195, 229), HSL(231, 43%, 82%), and CMYK(17%, 15%, 0%, 10%). Its perceived brightness is 197/255.
- Is #BDC3E5 accessible for text?
- Against white, #BDC3E5 has a contrast ratio of 1.74:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 12.10:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BDC3E5?
- The complementary colour is #E5DFBD (hue 51). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BDD7E5 and #CBBDE5. The triadic palette adds #E5BDC3 and #C3E5BD for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BDC3E5 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bdc3e5; or rgb(189, 195, 229); or hsl(231, 43%, 82%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 231 43% 82%; 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.