#538D85
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(60.1% 0.062 184.5), rgb(83, 141, 133).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.51:1).
About this color
#538D85 is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.062 and its hue 185°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.010 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.51:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.062) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.51:1 |
| White text | 3.80:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538D85 |
| RGB | rgb(83, 141, 133) |
| HSL | hsl(172, 26%, 44%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60.1% 0.062 184.5) |
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 #538D85 | 3.80:1 | AA large text | Lc -71.0 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538D85 | 5.51:1 | AA | Lc 38.6 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538D85 text on white | 3.80:1 | AA large text | Lc 65.5 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538D85 text on black | 5.51:1 | AA | Lc -36.2 | 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
#E4ECEA
oklch(93.6% 0.009 179.6)
-
Step 200
200
#CEDDDA
oklch(88.5% 0.017 182.7)
-
Step 300
300
#ACC7C3
oklch(80.8% 0.03 185.8)
-
Step 400
400
#7EABA4
oklch(70.7% 0.049 184.3)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538D85
oklch(60.1% 0.062 184.5)
-
Step 600
600
#408078
oklch(55.5% 0.067 184.9)
-
Step 700
700
#316C65
oklch(49% 0.063 185.1)
-
Step 800
800
#2A5852
oklch(42.6% 0.052 184.4)
-
Step 900
900
#274944
oklch(37.8% 0.041 183.6)
-
Step 950
950
#172B28
oklch(27.1% 0.027 183.8)
#538D85 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) | #888785 | 0.067 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7E8086 | 0.063 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #3D8F8A | 0.019 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #838383 | 0.063 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538D85
#538D85
oklch(60.1% 0.062 184.5)
- #A1717C
#A1717C
oklch(60.1% 0.062 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 #538D85, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.010
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.036
- Slate Green #658D6D ΔE 0.038
- Teal Green #0A9396 ΔE 0.043
- Grey Teal #5E9B8A ΔE 0.044
- Dark Cyan #008B8B ΔE 0.046
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.047
- Persian Green #2A9D8F ΔE 0.049
Use #538D85 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.