#538E91
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(60.8% 0.062 199.9), rgb(83, 142, 145).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.64:1).
About this color
#538E91 is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 61%, its chroma 0.062 and its hue 200°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.023 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.64:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (61%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.062) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.64:1 |
| White text | 3.71:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538E91 |
| RGB | rgb(83, 142, 145) |
| HSL | hsl(183, 27%, 45%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60.8% 0.062 199.9) |
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 #538E91 | 3.71:1 | AA large text | Lc -70.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538E91 | 5.64:1 | AA | Lc 39.4 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538E91 text on white | 3.71:1 | AA large text | Lc 64.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538E91 text on black | 5.64:1 | AA | Lc -37.0 | 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
#F2F6F6
oklch(97% 0.004 197.1)
-
Step 100
100
#E4ECEC
oklch(93.7% 0.009 197)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDDDD
oklch(88.6% 0.017 196.8)
-
Step 300
300
#ABC7C8
oklch(80.9% 0.03 199.2)
-
Step 400
400
#7DAAAC
oklch(70.6% 0.048 199.6)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538E91
oklch(60.8% 0.062 199.9)
-
Step 600
600
#3D7F83
oklch(55.5% 0.067 200.7)
-
Step 700
700
#2F6B6F
oklch(49% 0.062 201.2)
-
Step 800
800
#28585A
oklch(42.8% 0.052 199)
-
Step 900
900
#26484A
oklch(37.7% 0.04 200.5)
-
Step 950
950
#172A2B
oklch(26.9% 0.025 200)
#538E91 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) | #868991 | 0.063 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7C8191 | 0.059 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #36928F | 0.026 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #848484 | 0.062 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538E91
#538E91
oklch(60.8% 0.062 199.9)
- #A57473
#A57473
oklch(60.8% 0.062 20.4)
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 #538E91, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.023
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.035
- Teal Green #0A9396 ΔE 0.040
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.043
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.045
- Grey Teal #5E9B8A ΔE 0.046
- Light Slate Gray #778899 ΔE 0.048
- Dark Cyan #008B8B ΔE 0.049
Use #538E91 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.