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#BDB2B5 Color

#BDB2B5 is rgb(189, 178, 181) in RGB, hsl(344, 8%, 72%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 6%, 4%, 26%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Black Shadows (#BFAFB2), below the threshold most people can see at ΔE 2.11. Black text is the more readable choice on this background.

#BDB2B5
HEX#BDB2B5
RGBrgb(189, 178, 181)
HSLhsl(344, 8%, 72%)
HSVhsv(344, 6%, 74%)
CMYKcmyk(0%, 6%, 4%, 26%)
OKLCHoklch(77.4% 0.013 358.9)
LABlab(73.57% 4.45 -0.05)
LCHlch(73.57% 4.45 359.30)

What #BDB2B5 Is Called

Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #BDB2B5, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.

Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every gray in the library.

#BDB2B5 Channel Values

How #BDB2B5 breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.

ModelChannelsNotes
RGBR 189 · G 178 · B 1818-bit channels as sent to the display
HSLH 344° · S 8% · L 72%Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSVH 344° · S 6% · V 74%Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYKC 0% · M 6% · Y 4% · K 26%Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance2.06:1 vs white · 10.2:1 vs blackWCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #BDB2B5 background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.

Fails AAWhite text2.06:1AA normal AA large AAA normal
TextBlack text10.2:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #BDB2B5 in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With #BDB2B5

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #BDB2B5; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.

Base
Complementary
Analogous
Analogous
Triadic
Triadic
Split comp.
Split comp.

Tints & Shades of #BDB2B5

Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.

Tints

Shades

Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #BDB2B5.

How #BDB2B5 Looks with Color Vision Deficiency

Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.

Typical#BDB2B5
Protanopia#B4B4B5
Protanomaly#B8B3B5
Deuteranopia#B6B6B5
Deuteranomaly#B9B4B5
Tritanopia#BDB2B2
Tritanomaly#BDB2B3
Achromatopsia#B5B5B5

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #BDB2B5 in Code

Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.

CSS custom property--color-bdb2b5: #BDB2B5;
CSS backgroundbackground-color: #BDB2B5;
Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-bdb2b5': '#BDB2B5' }
SwiftUIColor(red: 0.741, green: 0.698, blue: 0.710)
Android XML<color name="color_bdb2b5">#BDB2B5</color>
SVG fillfill="#BDB2B5"

More Gray Colors

#BDB2B5 sits in the gray family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

#BDB2B5 Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #BDB2B5?

#BDB2B5 is a light gray — rgb(189, 178, 181) in RGB and hsl(344, 8%, 72%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Black Shadows (#BFAFB2), which is below the threshold most people can see at a CIE76 distance of 2.11.

What is the RGB value of #BDB2B5?

#BDB2B5 is rgb(189, 178, 181) — red 189, green 178, and blue 181 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #BDB2B5?

#BDB2B5 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 6%, 4%, 26%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #BDB2B5 be black or white?

Black text is the more readable choice. #BDB2B5 scores 2.06:1 against white and 10.2:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #BDB2B5 as a CSS color keyword?

No. #BDB2B5 is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is silver (#C0C0C0) at a CIE76 distance of 6.07, which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side.

Open #BDB2B5 in a Tool

Keep exploring: every gray in the color library, the guide to shades of gray, or the full color library.