#38DFEA
Closest named color: Aqua Blue (#02D8E9). oklch(82.7% 0.13 201.8), rgb(56, 223, 234).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (12.91:1).
About this color
#38DFEA is a light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 83%, its chroma 0.130 and its hue 202°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Aqua Blue (#02D8E9), ΔE 0.024 away. Black text reads best on it, at 12.91:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | light (83%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.130) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Aqua Blue (#02D8E9) |
| Black text | 12.91:1 |
| White text | 1.62:1 |
Values
| HEX | #38DFEA |
| RGB | rgb(56, 223, 234) |
| HSL | hsl(184, 81%, 57%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(82.7% 0.13 201.8) |
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 #38DFEA | 1.62:1 | Fails | Lc -31.1 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #38DFEA | 12.91:1 | AAA | Lc 76.3 | Fine for body text |
| #38DFEA text on white | 1.62:1 | Fails | Lc 27.5 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #38DFEA text on black | 12.91:1 | AAA | Lc -75.4 | Fine for body text |
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
#E9F9FA
oklch(97.1% 0.017 201.4)
-
Step 100
100
#CEF2F4
oklch(93.6% 0.037 200.7)
-
Step 200
200
#9FE8ED
oklch(88.5% 0.073 201.4)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#38DFEA
oklch(82.7% 0.13 201.8)
-
Step 400
400
#00B6C0
oklch(70.7% 0.12 201.8)
-
Step 500
500
#009CA5
oklch(63.1% 0.107 202)
-
Step 600
600
#00838B
oklch(55.5% 0.095 202.3)
-
Step 700
700
#006E75
oklch(49% 0.083 202.5)
-
Step 800
800
#005A60
oklch(42.6% 0.073 202.7)
-
Step 900
900
#004B50
oklch(37.6% 0.064 202.5)
-
Step 950
950
#002D30
oklch(27% 0.046 201.8)
#38DFEA 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) | #CED5EB | 0.132 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #B5C3EB | 0.122 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00E8E2 | 0.032 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #CBCBCB | 0.131 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #38DFEA
#38DFEA
oklch(82.7% 0.13 201.8)
- #FFAEAB
#FFAEAB
oklch(82.8% 0.096 21.7)
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 #38DFEA, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Aqua Blue #02D8E9 ΔE 0.024
- Turquoise #40E0D0 ΔE 0.038
- Medium Turquoise #48D1CC ΔE 0.048
- Robin's Egg #6DEDFD ΔE 0.056
- Dark Turquoise #00CED1 ΔE 0.056
- Bright Light Blue #26F7FD ΔE 0.064
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.064
- Sky Blue #87CEEB ΔE 0.066
Use #38DFEA 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.