#538E9B
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(61.1% 0.065 213.4), rgb(83, 142, 155).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.71:1).
About this color
#538E9B is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 61%, its chroma 0.065 and its hue 213°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.038 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.71:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (61%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.065) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.71:1 |
| White text | 3.67:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538E9B |
| RGB | rgb(83, 142, 155) |
| HSL | hsl(191, 30%, 47%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(61.1% 0.065 213.4) |
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 #538E9B | 3.67:1 | AA large text | Lc -69.7 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538E9B | 5.71:1 | AA | Lc 39.8 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538E9B text on white | 3.67:1 | AA large text | Lc 64.2 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538E9B text on black | 5.71:1 | AA | Lc -37.4 | 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
#F2F6F7
oklch(97% 0.004 214.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E3ECED
oklch(93.7% 0.01 204.9)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDCE0
oklch(88.4% 0.017 215.5)
-
Step 300
300
#AAC6CD
oklch(80.8% 0.032 214.5)
-
Step 400
400
#7CA9B4
oklch(70.6% 0.051 214.5)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538E9B
oklch(61.1% 0.065 213.4)
-
Step 600
600
#3C7E8C
oklch(55.6% 0.07 213.4)
-
Step 700
700
#2E6A77
oklch(49% 0.065 214)
-
Step 800
800
#275761
oklch(42.8% 0.054 213.2)
-
Step 900
900
#25484F
oklch(37.8% 0.042 212)
-
Step 950
950
#162A2E
oklch(27% 0.027 211.7)
#538E9B 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) | #848A9C | 0.060 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #79829B | 0.054 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #309392 | 0.036 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #858585 | 0.065 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538E9B
#538E9B
oklch(61.1% 0.065 213.4)
- #A7766A
#A7766A
oklch(61.2% 0.065 34.3)
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 #538E9B, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.038
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.041
- Blue Grey #758DA3 ΔE 0.042
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.042
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.043
- Light Slate Gray #778899 ΔE 0.043
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.044
- Teal Green #0A9396 ΔE 0.044
Use #538E9B 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.