#51BDC8
Closest named color: Dark Turquoise (#00CED1). oklch(74% 0.099 204.5), rgb(81, 189, 200).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.46:1).
About this color
#51BDC8 is a medium-light, moderately saturated teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 74%, its chroma 0.099 and its hue 204°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dark Turquoise (#00CED1), ΔE 0.048 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.46:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (74%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.099) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dark Turquoise (#00CED1) |
| Black text | 9.46:1 |
| White text | 2.21:1 |
Values
| HEX | #51BDC8 |
| RGB | rgb(81, 189, 200) |
| HSL | hsl(186, 52%, 55%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(74% 0.099 204.5) |
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 #51BDC8 | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc -48.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #51BDC8 | 9.46:1 | AAA | Lc 60.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #51BDC8 text on white | 2.21:1 | Fails | Lc 43.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #51BDC8 text on black | 9.46:1 | AAA | Lc -58.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#EFF7F8
oklch(97% 0.009 205.9)
-
Step 100
100
#DDEEEF
oklch(93.7% 0.018 201.1)
-
Step 200
200
#C0E0E4
oklch(88.5% 0.034 205.8)
-
Step 300
300
#91CDD3
oklch(81% 0.062 203.8)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#51BDC8
oklch(74% 0.099 204.5)
-
Step 500
500
#009CA8
oklch(63.2% 0.108 204.4)
-
Step 600
600
#00838D
oklch(55.6% 0.095 204.2)
-
Step 700
700
#006E77
oklch(49.1% 0.084 204.7)
-
Step 800
800
#005A62
oklch(42.7% 0.073 205.3)
-
Step 900
900
#004B51
oklch(37.6% 0.064 204)
-
Step 950
950
#002D31
oklch(27.1% 0.046 204.1)
#51BDC8 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) | #AFB6C9 | 0.098 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #9DA8C8 | 0.091 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00C4C0 | 0.037 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #AEAEAE | 0.100 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #51BDC8
#51BDC8
oklch(74% 0.099 204.5)
- #E3928C
#E3928C
oklch(74.1% 0.099 24.4)
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 #51BDC8, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Turquoise #00CED1 ΔE 0.048
- Topaz #13BBAF ΔE 0.049
- Turquoise Blue #06B1C4 ΔE 0.049
- Medium Turquoise #48D1CC ΔE 0.055
- Vivid Sky Blue #4CC9F0 ΔE 0.059
- Light Sea Green #20B2AA ΔE 0.059
- Pale Teal #82CBB2 ΔE 0.072
- Medium Aquamarine #66CDAA ΔE 0.074
Use #51BDC8 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.