#538F81
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(60.5% 0.067 177.3), rgb(83, 143, 129).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.61:1).
About this color
#538F81 is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 60%, its chroma 0.067 and its hue 177°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.008 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.61:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (60%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.067) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.61:1 |
| White text | 3.74:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538F81 |
| RGB | rgb(83, 143, 129) |
| HSL | hsl(166, 27%, 44%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60.5% 0.067 177.3) |
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 #538F81 | 3.74:1 | AA large text | Lc -70.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538F81 | 5.61:1 | AA | Lc 39.2 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538F81 text on white | 3.74:1 | AA large text | Lc 64.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538F81 text on black | 5.61:1 | AA | Lc -36.8 | 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
#E4ECEA
oklch(93.6% 0.009 179.6)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDDD9
oklch(88.4% 0.018 179.3)
-
Step 300
300
#ABC8C0
oklch(80.9% 0.033 177)
-
Step 400
400
#7EACA0
oklch(70.8% 0.052 176.8)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538F81
oklch(60.5% 0.067 177.3)
-
Step 600
600
#3E8173
oklch(55.5% 0.072 178)
-
Step 700
700
#306D60
oklch(49% 0.067 177.4)
-
Step 800
800
#29594E
oklch(42.7% 0.056 176.5)
-
Step 900
900
#264941
oklch(37.6% 0.043 177.4)
-
Step 950
950
#172B26
oklch(27% 0.028 176.4)
#538F81 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) | #8B8880 | 0.071 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #818182 | 0.067 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #3E918B | 0.020 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #848484 | 0.067 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538F81
#538F81
oklch(60.5% 0.067 177.3)
- #A37182
#A37182
oklch(60.5% 0.067 357.2)
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 #538F81, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.008
- Slate Green #658D6D ΔE 0.031
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.033
- Grey Teal #5E9B8A ΔE 0.038
- Persian Green #2A9D8F ΔE 0.044
- Teal Green #0A9396 ΔE 0.045
- Blue Green #0F9B8E ΔE 0.045
- Ocean Green #3D9973 ΔE 0.046
Use #538F81 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.