#538B8F
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(60% 0.059 201.6), rgb(83, 139, 143).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.45:1).
About this color
#538B8F is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.059 and its hue 202°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.026 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.45:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.059) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.45:1 |
| White text | 3.84:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538B8F |
| RGB | rgb(83, 139, 143) |
| HSL | hsl(184, 27%, 44%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60% 0.059 201.6) |
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 #538B8F | 3.84:1 | AA large text | Lc -71.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538B8F | 5.45:1 | AA | Lc 38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538B8F text on white | 3.84:1 | AA large text | Lc 65.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538B8F text on black | 5.45:1 | AA | Lc -35.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder 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 500.
-
Step 50
50
#F3F6F6
oklch(97.1% 0.003 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E4ECEC
oklch(93.7% 0.009 197)
-
Step 200
200
#CEDCDD
oklch(88.4% 0.015 202)
-
Step 300
300
#ACC7C8
oklch(81% 0.029 199.3)
-
Step 400
400
#7FAAAD
oklch(70.8% 0.046 201.5)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538B8F
oklch(60% 0.059 201.6)
-
Step 600
600
#407F83
oklch(55.6% 0.065 200.9)
-
Step 700
700
#326B6F
oklch(49.1% 0.06 201.5)
-
Step 800
800
#2A575A
oklch(42.6% 0.05 201.2)
-
Step 900
900
#27484A
oklch(37.7% 0.039 200.7)
-
Step 950
950
#172A2B
oklch(26.9% 0.025 200)
#538B8F 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) | #83868F | 0.060 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #797F8F | 0.055 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #388F8C | 0.026 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #828282 | 0.060 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538B8F
#538B8F
oklch(60% 0.059 201.6)
- #A17270
#A17270
oklch(59.9% 0.06 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 #538B8F, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.026
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.038
- Teal Green #0A9396 ΔE 0.042
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.042
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.043
- Grey Blue #647D8E ΔE 0.043
- Slate Gray #708090 ΔE 0.045
- Dark Cyan #008B8B ΔE 0.046
Use #538B8F 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.