#42CDBF
Closest named color: Medium Turquoise (#48D1CC). oklch(77.1% 0.119 185.4), rgb(66, 205, 191).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (10.71:1).
About this color
#42CDBF is a medium-light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 77%, its chroma 0.119 and its hue 185°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Medium Turquoise (#48D1CC), ΔE 0.020 away. Black text reads best on it, at 10.71:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (77%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.119) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Medium Turquoise (#48D1CC) |
| Black text | 10.71:1 |
| White text | 1.95:1 |
Values
| HEX | #42CDBF |
| RGB | rgb(66, 205, 191) |
| HSL | hsl(174, 58%, 53%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(77.1% 0.119 185.4) |
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 #42CDBF | 1.95:1 | Fails | Lc -41.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| Black text on #42CDBF | 10.71:1 | AAA | Lc 66.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #42CDBF text on white | 1.95:1 | Fails | Lc 37.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #42CDBF text on black | 10.71:1 | AAA | Lc -65.1 | 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
#EAF9F7
oklch(97% 0.016 187.3)
-
Step 100
100
#D2F2ED
oklch(93.7% 0.034 185.2)
-
Step 200
200
#A8E8DF
oklch(88.5% 0.066 185.3)
-
Step 300
300 (this color)
#42CDBF
oklch(77.1% 0.119 185.4)
-
Step 400
400
#00B9AB
oklch(70.7% 0.124 185.3)
-
Step 500
500
#009F93
oklch(63.2% 0.111 185.4)
-
Step 600
600
#00857B
oklch(55.5% 0.097 185.6)
-
Step 700
700
#007067
oklch(49% 0.086 185.2)
-
Step 800
800
#005C55
oklch(42.7% 0.075 185.9)
-
Step 900
900
#004D46
oklch(37.8% 0.067 184.5)
-
Step 950
950
#002E2A
oklch(27.1% 0.048 185.8)
#42CDBF 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) | #C3C2BF | 0.126 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #AFB3C1 | 0.120 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00D1C8 | 0.018 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B9B9B9 | 0.120 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #42CDBF
#42CDBF
oklch(77.1% 0.119 185.4)
- #F494AA
#F494AA
oklch(77.2% 0.118 5.4)
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 #42CDBF, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Medium Turquoise #48D1CC ΔE 0.020
- Dark Turquoise #00CED1 ΔE 0.028
- Medium Aquamarine #66CDAA ΔE 0.034
- Seafoam Blue #78D1B6 ΔE 0.043
- Pale Teal #82CBB2 ΔE 0.047
- Turquoise #40E0D0 ΔE 0.052
- Topaz #13BBAF ΔE 0.057
- Aqua Blue #02D8E9 ΔE 0.058
Use #42CDBF 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.