Color #BDC8CB Color / Colour Code #BDC8CB
This page shows the hex color code for color #bdc8cb (#BDC8CB). The colour is a cyan tone with 12% saturation and 77% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BDC8CB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BDC8CB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 163, 193, and 223 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 193, 313, and 73 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BDC8CB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 193 and saturation at 12%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 193 to 238 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 193 with its complement at 13 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 #BDC8CB
Lightness variations at hue 193 and 12% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BDC8CB
Design Use Cases for #BDC8CB
Muted Accent Color
With 12% saturation, #BDC8CB has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Light Background Tint
#BDC8CB at 77% 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.
Clarity & Technology
#BDC8CB is in the cyan spectrum (hue 193). Cyan evokes technology, clarity, and innovation. It works well for tech product interfaces, data visualization accents, loading indicators, and futuristic design themes. Cyan provides a modern alternative to traditional blues.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #BDC8CB (hue 193) to its complement at hue 13. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 223. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bdc8cb, #cbc0bd);
CSS Code for #BDC8CB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BDC8CB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BDC8CB across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BDC8CB (#BDC8CB)
#BDC8CB is a cyan color (colour) with RGB channel values of 189 red, 200 green, and 203 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 193 degrees with 12% saturation and 77% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BDC8CB 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 7% cyan, 1% magenta, 0% yellow, and 20% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BDC8CB against white is 1.71:1 and against black is 12.29:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 12.29:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #CBC0BD creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BDC8CB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BDCBC7 and #BDC1CB, 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 #BDC8CB
- 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 #BDC8CB?
- #BDC8CB is Color #BDC8CB, a cyan color (colour) with RGB(189, 200, 203), HSL(193, 12%, 77%), and CMYK(7%, 1%, 0%, 20%). Its perceived brightness is 197/255.
- Is #BDC8CB accessible for text?
- Against white, #BDC8CB has a contrast ratio of 1.71:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 12.29:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BDC8CB?
- The complementary colour is #CBC0BD (hue 13). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BDCBC7 and #BDC1CB. The triadic palette adds #CBBDC8 and #C8CBBD for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BDC8CB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bdc8cb; or rgb(189, 200, 203); or hsl(193, 12%, 77%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 193 12% 77%; 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.