#538D7A
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(59.8% 0.068 170.9), rgb(83, 141, 122).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.45:1).
About this color
#538D7A is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.068 and its hue 171°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.016 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.45:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.068) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.45:1 |
| White text | 3.84:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538D7A |
| RGB | rgb(83, 141, 122) |
| HSL | hsl(160, 26%, 44%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(59.8% 0.068 170.9) |
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 #538D7A | 3.84:1 | AA large text | Lc -71.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538D7A | 5.45:1 | AA | Lc 38.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538D7A text on white | 3.84:1 | AA large text | Lc 65.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538D7A 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
#F3F6F5
oklch(97.1% 0.003 174.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E4ECE9
oklch(93.6% 0.009 171.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CEDDD7
oklch(88.5% 0.018 170)
-
Step 300
300
#ACC8BE
oklch(80.9% 0.033 171.9)
-
Step 400
400
#7FAC9C
oklch(70.7% 0.054 170.8)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538D7A
oklch(59.8% 0.068 170.9)
-
Step 600
600
#41816D
oklch(55.5% 0.074 170.9)
-
Step 700
700
#326D5B
oklch(49% 0.069 171)
-
Step 800
800
#2B594B
oklch(42.7% 0.056 171.5)
-
Step 900
900
#27493E
oklch(37.6% 0.044 171)
-
Step 950
950
#182B25
oklch(27% 0.027 172.2)
#538D7A 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) | #8A8679 | 0.070 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #807F7B | 0.067 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #418E87 | 0.022 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #828282 | 0.069 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538D7A
#538D7A
oklch(59.8% 0.068 170.9)
- #9F6F85
#9F6F85
oklch(59.8% 0.068 350.2)
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 #538D7A, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.016
- Slate Green #658D6D ΔE 0.025
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.042
- Ocean Green #3D9973 ΔE 0.044
- Grey Teal #5E9B8A ΔE 0.045
- Green Grey #77926F ΔE 0.048
- Dark Sage #598556 ΔE 0.049
- Persian Green #2A9D8F ΔE 0.050
Use #538D7A 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.