#538B96
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(60.2% 0.061 211.5), rgb(83, 139, 150).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.50:1).
About this color
#538B96 is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.061 and its hue 212°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.035 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.50:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.061) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.50:1 |
| White text | 3.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538B96 |
| RGB | rgb(83, 139, 150) |
| HSL | hsl(190, 29%, 46%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60.2% 0.061 211.5) |
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 #538B96 | 3.81:1 | AA large text | Lc -71.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538B96 | 5.50:1 | AA | Lc 38.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538B96 text on white | 3.81:1 | AA large text | Lc 65.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538B96 text on black | 5.50:1 | AA | Lc -36.1 | 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
#F3F6F7
oklch(97.1% 0.003 219.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E4EBED
oklch(93.5% 0.008 216.6)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDCDF
oklch(88.4% 0.017 211)
-
Step 300
300
#ABC6CC
oklch(80.8% 0.03 212.6)
-
Step 400
400
#7EA9B2
oklch(70.7% 0.048 212)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538B96
oklch(60.2% 0.061 211.5)
-
Step 600
600
#407E8A
oklch(55.7% 0.066 211.7)
-
Step 700
700
#316A75
oklch(49.1% 0.062 211.9)
-
Step 800
800
#2A575F
oklch(42.8% 0.051 210.5)
-
Step 900
900
#27474E
oklch(37.6% 0.04 213.3)
-
Step 950
950
#172A2E
oklch(27.1% 0.026 212.5)
#538B96 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) | #828797 | 0.058 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #777F96 | 0.053 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #34908E | 0.034 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #828282 | 0.061 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538B96
#538B96
oklch(60.2% 0.061 211.5)
- #A2746A
#A2746A
oklch(60.3% 0.061 32.6)
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 #538B96, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.035
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.038
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.039
- Grey Blue #647D8E ΔE 0.041
- Slate Gray #708090 ΔE 0.042
- Light Slate Gray #778899 ΔE 0.044
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.044
- Teal Green #0A9396 ΔE 0.044
Use #538B96 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.