#BDB9CC
Thistle · light cool purple
About #BDB9CC
#BDB9CC is a muted, light shade in the purple family. On screen it is built from 74% red, 73% green and 80% blue; for print, its CMYK mix is 7% cyan, 9% magenta, 0% yellow and 20% black. Its overall feel is cool.
Of the common colour names it is similar to Thistle (ΔE 9.2); Silver comes next. Its complementary colour, directly opposite on the colour wheel, is #C8CCB9 — a light sage tone that gives the strongest contrast in hue.
Designers tend to use light tones like #BDB9CC for large surfaces, cards and soft highlights. Black text reads best on it at 10.98:1 (a WCAG AAA pass).
Colour codes
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Closest named colours
ΔE measures visible difference: under 2 is barely noticeable, over 10 is clearly different.
Text on #BDB9CC
WCAG contrast for white and black text on this colour.
Colour-blindness preview
How #BDB9CC appears to people with the three most common types of colour-vision deficiency.
Shades, tints & matching colours
Similar colours
Frequently asked questions
›What colour is #BDB9CC?
#BDB9CC is a muted, light shade in the purple family. On screen it is built from 74% red, 73% green and 80% blue; for print, its CMYK mix is 7% cyan, 9% magenta, 0% yellow and 20% black. Its overall feel is cool.
›What text colour should I use on #BDB9CC?
Use black text. Black on #BDB9CC has a contrast ratio of 10.98:1 (AAA).
›What colours go with #BDB9CC?
Its complementary colour is #C8CCB9, and analogous partners are #B9BECC and #C7B9CC.