#538E9F
Closest named color: Dusty Blue (#5A86AD). oklch(61.3% 0.067 218.4), rgb(83, 142, 159).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.73:1).
About this color
#538E9F is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 61%, its chroma 0.067 and its hue 218°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Blue (#5A86AD), ΔE 0.037 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.73:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (61%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.067) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Blue (#5A86AD) |
| Black text | 5.73:1 |
| White text | 3.66:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538E9F |
| RGB | rgb(83, 142, 159) |
| HSL | hsl(193, 31%, 47%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(61.3% 0.067 218.4) |
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 #538E9F | 3.66:1 | AA large text | Lc -69.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538E9F | 5.73:1 | AA | Lc 40.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538E9F text on white | 3.66:1 | AA large text | Lc 64.1 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538E9F text on black | 5.73:1 | AA | Lc -37.6 | 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
#E3EBEE
oklch(93.5% 0.009 222.1)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDCE1
oklch(88.5% 0.018 219.7)
-
Step 300
300
#AAC6CF
oklch(80.9% 0.033 219.2)
-
Step 400
400
#7CA9B7
oklch(70.7% 0.052 219)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538E9F
oklch(61.3% 0.067 218.4)
-
Step 600
600
#3C7E90
oklch(55.7% 0.072 218.1)
-
Step 700
700
#2D6A7A
oklch(49.1% 0.067 217.7)
-
Step 800
800
#275663
oklch(42.6% 0.055 218.4)
-
Step 900
900
#254751
oklch(37.7% 0.043 219)
-
Step 950
950
#162A2F
oklch(27% 0.027 215.5)
#538E9F 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) | #838BA0 | 0.058 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #77829F | 0.052 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #2D9493 | 0.041 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #868686 | 0.067 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538E9F
#538E9F
oklch(61.3% 0.067 218.4)
- #A87667
#A87667
oklch(61.3% 0.067 37.4)
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 #538E9F, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Blue #5A86AD ΔE 0.037
- Blue Grey #758DA3 ΔE 0.040
- Steel #738595 ΔE 0.041
- Light Slate Gray #778899 ΔE 0.042
- Off Blue #5684AE ΔE 0.043
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.044
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.046
- Silver Lake Blue #778DA9 ΔE 0.046
Use #538E9F 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.