#38D9BD
Closest named color: Turquoise (#40E0D0). oklch(79.8% 0.135 178), rgb(56, 217, 189).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (11.82:1).
About this color
#38D9BD is a light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 80%, its chroma 0.135 and its hue 178°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Turquoise (#40E0D0), ΔE 0.030 away. Black text reads best on it, at 11.82:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (80%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.135) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Turquoise (#40E0D0) |
| Black text | 11.82:1 |
| White text | 1.77:1 |
Values
| HEX | #38D9BD |
| RGB | rgb(56, 217, 189) |
| HSL | hsl(170, 68%, 54%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(79.8% 0.135 178) |
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 #38D9BD | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc -36.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #38D9BD | 11.82:1 | AAA | Lc 71.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #38D9BD text on white | 1.77:1 | Fails | Lc 32.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #38D9BD text on black | 11.82:1 | 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
#E9FAF5
oklch(97.1% 0.019 176.5)
-
Step 100
100
#CFF3EA
oklch(93.6% 0.039 178.6)
-
Step 200
200
#A3EAD9
oklch(88.5% 0.075 177.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#38D9BD
oklch(79.8% 0.135 178)
-
Step 400
400
#00BAA0
oklch(70.6% 0.13 177.9)
-
Step 500
500
#00A089
oklch(63.1% 0.116 177.6)
-
Step 600
600
#008673
oklch(55.5% 0.102 178.1)
-
Step 700
700
#007161
oklch(49.1% 0.09 178.4)
-
Step 800
800
#005D4F
oklch(42.8% 0.079 177.8)
-
Step 900
900
#004D41
oklch(37.6% 0.069 177.7)
-
Step 950
950
#002E26
oklch(26.9% 0.05 177.5)
#38D9BD 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) | #D0CCBC | 0.142 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #BBBCBF | 0.135 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00DCD1 | 0.027 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C2C2C2 | 0.136 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #38D9BD
#38D9BD
oklch(79.8% 0.135 178)
- #FF99BD
#FF99BD
oklch(79.8% 0.128 357.8)
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 #38D9BD, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Turquoise #40E0D0 ΔE 0.030
- Medium Turquoise #48D1CC ΔE 0.037
- Medium Aquamarine #66CDAA ΔE 0.038
- Seafoam Blue #78D1B6 ΔE 0.041
- Emerald #06D6A0 ΔE 0.043
- Aqua Marine #2EE8BB ΔE 0.043
- Dark Turquoise #00CED1 ΔE 0.051
- Pale Teal #82CBB2 ΔE 0.056
Use #38D9BD 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.