Color #BEC9CB Color / Colour Code #BEC9CB
This page shows the hex color code for color #bec9cb (#BEC9CB). The colour is a cyan tone with 11% saturation and 77% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #BEC9CB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#BEC9CB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 159, 189, and 219 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 189, 309, and 69 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #BEC9CB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 189 and saturation at 11%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 189 to 234 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 189 with its complement at 9 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 #BEC9CB
Lightness variations at hue 189 and 11% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #BEC9CB
Design Use Cases for #BEC9CB
Muted Accent Color
With 11% saturation, #BEC9CB 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
#BEC9CB 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
#BEC9CB is in the cyan spectrum (hue 189). 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 #BEC9CB (hue 189) to its complement at hue 9. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 219. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #bec9cb, #cbc0be);
CSS Code for #BEC9CB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #BEC9CB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #BEC9CB across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #BEC9CB (#BEC9CB)
#BEC9CB is a cyan color (colour) with RGB channel values of 190 red, 201 green, and 203 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 189 degrees with 11% saturation and 77% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #BEC9CB is 198/255 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 6% cyan, 1% magenta, 0% yellow, and 20% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #BEC9CB against white is 1.69:1 and against black is 12.41:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 12.41:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #CBC0BE creates maximum visual tension when paired with #BEC9CB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #BECBC6 and #BEC2CB, 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 #BEC9CB
- 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 #BEC9CB?
- #BEC9CB is Color #BEC9CB, a cyan color (colour) with RGB(190, 201, 203), HSL(189, 11%, 77%), and CMYK(6%, 1%, 0%, 20%). Its perceived brightness is 198/255.
- Is #BEC9CB accessible for text?
- Against white, #BEC9CB has a contrast ratio of 1.69:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 12.41:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #BEC9CB?
- The complementary colour is #CBC0BE (hue 9). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #BECBC6 and #BEC2CB. The triadic palette adds #CBBEC9 and #C9CBBE for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #BEC9CB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #bec9cb; or rgb(190, 201, 203); or hsl(189, 11%, 77%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 189 11% 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.