#516E72
Closest named color: Slate (#516572). oklch(51.7% 0.034 206.7), rgb(81, 110, 114).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (5.49:1).
About this color
#516E72 is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 52%, its chroma 0.034 and its hue 207°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Slate (#516572), ΔE 0.028 away. White text reads best on it, at 5.49:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (52%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.034) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Slate (#516572) |
| Black text | 3.82:1 |
| White text | 5.49:1 |
Values
| HEX | #516E72 |
| RGB | rgb(81, 110, 114) |
| HSL | hsl(187, 17%, 38%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(51.7% 0.034 206.7) |
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 #516E72 | 5.49:1 | AA | Lc -82.7 | Fine for body text |
| Black text on #516E72 | 3.82:1 | AA large text | Lc 26.7 | Dividers and decoration only |
| #516E72 text on white | 5.49:1 | AA | Lc 77.4 | Fine for body text |
| #516E72 text on black | 3.82:1 | AA large text | Lc -24.4 | Dividers and decoration only |
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 700.
-
Step 50
50
#F4F6F6
oklch(97.2% 0.002 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E6EBEB
oklch(93.6% 0.005 197.1)
-
Step 200
200
#D3DBDC
oklch(88.6% 0.009 205.9)
-
Step 300
300
#B5C4C6
oklch(80.9% 0.017 206.4)
-
Step 400
400
#8EA6A9
oklch(70.8% 0.027 205.8)
-
Step 500
500
#729094
oklch(63.2% 0.034 206.3)
-
Step 600
600
#5A7A7E
oklch(55.6% 0.037 205.7)
-
Step 700
700 (this color)
#516E72
oklch(51.7% 0.034 206.7)
-
Step 800
800
#3D5457
oklch(42.8% 0.028 206.1)
-
Step 900
900
#344547
oklch(37.7% 0.022 205.2)
-
Step 950
950
#1F282A
oklch(26.9% 0.013 212.7)
#516E72 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) | #696C72 | 0.033 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #636772 | 0.031 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #46706F | 0.016 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #696969 | 0.034 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #516E72
#516E72
oklch(51.7% 0.034 206.7)
- #7B615E
#7B615E
oklch(51.8% 0.034 25.9)
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 #516E72, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Slate #516572 ΔE 0.028
- Dim Gray #696969 ΔE 0.034
- Metallic Blue #4F738E ΔE 0.043
- Battleship Gray #6C757D ΔE 0.047
- Deep Aqua #08787F ΔE 0.053
- Deep Turquoise #017374 ΔE 0.054
- Dark Aquamarine #017371 ΔE 0.055
- Bluegreen #017A79 ΔE 0.057
Use #516E72 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.