#16D5FF
Closest named color: Bright Sky Blue (#02CCFE). oklch(80.8% 0.144 219.3), rgb(22, 213, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.99:1).
About this color
#16D5FF is a light, vivid teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.144 and its hue 219°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Bright Sky Blue (#02CCFE), ΔE 0.025 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.99:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.144) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Bright Sky Blue (#02CCFE) |
| Black text | 11.99:1 |
| White text | 1.75:1 |
Values
| HEX | #16D5FF |
| RGB | rgb(22, 213, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(191, 100%, 54%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(80.8% 0.144 219.3) |
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 #16D5FF | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc -35.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #16D5FF | 11.99:1 | AAA | Lc 72.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #16D5FF text on white | 1.75:1 | Fails | Lc 31.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #16D5FF text on black | 11.99:1 | AAA | Lc -71.4 | 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
#E8F9FE
oklch(97.1% 0.019 217.2)
-
Step 100
100
#CCF1FD
oklch(93.6% 0.042 219.4)
-
Step 200
200
#9CE6FD
oklch(88.4% 0.08 219.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#16D5FF
oklch(80.8% 0.144 219.3)
-
Step 400
400
#00B2D7
oklch(70.6% 0.128 219.8)
-
Step 500
500
#0099B8
oklch(63.1% 0.114 219)
-
Step 600
600
#00819B
oklch(55.7% 0.1 218.5)
-
Step 700
700
#006C83
oklch(49.1% 0.089 219.3)
-
Step 800
800
#00586C
oklch(42.6% 0.078 220.2)
-
Step 900
900
#004A5A
oklch(37.8% 0.068 218.5)
-
Step 950
950
#002C37
oklch(27.1% 0.049 219.4)
#16D5FF 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) | #BBCFFF | 0.120 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9FBBFF | 0.107 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00E3E2 | 0.066 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C4C4C4 | 0.144 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #16D5FF
#16D5FF
oklch(80.8% 0.144 219.3)
- #FFA789
#FFA789
oklch(80.8% 0.113 39.6)
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 #16D5FF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Bright Sky Blue #02CCFE ΔE 0.025
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.035
- Aqua Blue #02D8E9 ΔE 0.036
- Lightblue #7BC8F6 ΔE 0.056
- Sky #82CAFC ΔE 0.061
- Deep Sky Blue #00BFFF ΔE 0.062
- Light Sky Blue #87CEFA ΔE 0.062
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.064
Use #16D5FF 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.