#16D5EF
Closest named color: Aqua Blue (#02D8E9). oklch(80.1% 0.136 210.5), rgb(22, 213, 239).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.79:1).
About this color
#16D5EF is a light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.136 and its hue 211°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Aqua Blue (#02D8E9), ΔE 0.014 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.79:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.136) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Aqua Blue (#02D8E9) |
| Black text | 11.79:1 |
| White text | 1.77:1 |
Values
| HEX | #16D5EF |
| RGB | rgb(22, 213, 239) |
| HSL | hsl(187, 87%, 51%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.1% 0.136 210.5) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #16D5EF | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc -36.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #16D5EF | 11.79:1 | AAA | Lc 71.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #16D5EF text on white | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc 32.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #16D5EF text on black | 11.79:1 | AAA | Lc -70.5 | Content text, not long reading |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 300.
-
Step 50
50
#E8F9FC
oklch(97% 0.018 209.4)
-
Step 100
100
#CDF2F9
oklch(93.7% 0.039 210.3)
-
Step 200
200
#9DE7F5
oklch(88.4% 0.076 210.7)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#16D5EF
oklch(80.1% 0.136 210.5)
-
Step 400
400
#00B4CB
oklch(70.6% 0.122 210.8)
-
Step 500
500
#009BAE
oklch(63.2% 0.109 210)
-
Step 600
600
#008293
oklch(55.6% 0.096 210.7)
-
Step 700
700
#006D7C
oklch(49% 0.085 211.2)
-
Step 800
800
#005A66
oklch(42.9% 0.074 210.4)
-
Step 900
900
#004B55
oklch(37.8% 0.065 210)
-
Step 950
950
#002C33
oklch(26.9% 0.047 211.1)
#16D5EF with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #C0CDF1 | 0.128 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A6BAEF | 0.116 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00E0DD | 0.046 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C2C2C2 | 0.137 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #16D5EF
#16D5EF
oklch(80.1% 0.136 210.5)
- #FFA291
#FFA291
oklch(80.2% 0.114 31)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #16D5EF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Aqua Blue #02D8E9 ΔE 0.014
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.036
- Bright Sky Blue #02CCFE ΔE 0.038
- Dark Turquoise #00CED1 ΔE 0.044
- Medium Turquoise #48D1CC ΔE 0.048
- Turquoise #40E0D0 ΔE 0.063
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.063
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.063
Use #16D5EF in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.