#38DADC
Closest named color: Aqua Blue (#02D8E9). oklch(81% 0.127 196.2), rgb(56, 218, 220).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.23:1).
About this color
#38DADC is a light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 81%, its chroma 0.127 and its hue 196°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Aqua Blue (#02D8E9), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 12.23:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (81%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.127) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Aqua Blue (#02D8E9) |
| Black text | 12.23:1 |
| White text | 1.71:1 |
Values
| HEX | #38DADC |
| RGB | rgb(56, 218, 220) |
| HSL | hsl(181, 70%, 54%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(81% 0.127 196.2) |
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 #38DADC | 1.71:1 | Fails | Lc -34.3 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #38DADC | 12.23:1 | AAA | Lc 73.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #38DADC text on white | 1.71:1 | Fails | Lc 30.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #38DADC text on black | 12.23:1 | AAA | Lc -72.3 | 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
#E9F9F9
oklch(97% 0.017 196.9)
-
Step 100
100
#CFF2F2
oklch(93.6% 0.036 196.5)
-
Step 200
200
#A1E8E8
oklch(88.4% 0.071 195.9)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#38DADC
oklch(81% 0.127 196.2)
-
Step 400
400
#00B7B9
oklch(70.6% 0.12 196.2)
-
Step 500
500
#009D9F
oklch(63.1% 0.107 196.4)
-
Step 600
600
#008486
oklch(55.6% 0.095 196.7)
-
Step 700
700
#006F70
oklch(49.1% 0.084 195.9)
-
Step 800
800
#005B5C
oklch(42.7% 0.073 196.1)
-
Step 900
900
#004C4D
oklch(37.8% 0.064 196.3)
-
Step 950
950
#002D2E
oklch(27% 0.046 197.1)
#38DADC 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) | #CBCFDC | 0.132 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B4BEDD | 0.124 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00E1DA | 0.022 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #C5C5C5 | 0.128 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #38DADC
#38DADC
oklch(81% 0.127 196.2)
- #FFA4A9
#FFA4A9
oklch(81% 0.108 16.2)
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 #38DADC, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Aqua Blue #02D8E9 ΔE 0.023
- Medium Turquoise #48D1CC ΔE 0.028
- Turquoise #40E0D0 ΔE 0.028
- Dark Turquoise #00CED1 ΔE 0.039
- Seafoam Blue #78D1B6 ΔE 0.057
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.063
- Medium Aquamarine #66CDAA ΔE 0.068
- Pale Teal #82CBB2 ΔE 0.068
Use #38DADC 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.