#538F8F
Closest named color: Dusty Teal (#4C9085). oklch(60.9% 0.063 195.6), rgb(83, 143, 143).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (5.69:1).
About this color
#538F8F is a medium-dark, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 61%, its chroma 0.063 and its hue 196°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dusty Teal (#4C9085), ΔE 0.019 away. Black text reads best on it, at 5.69:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-dark (61%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.063) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dusty Teal (#4C9085) |
| Black text | 5.69:1 |
| White text | 3.68:1 |
Values
| HEX | #538F8F |
| RGB | rgb(83, 143, 143) |
| HSL | hsl(180, 27%, 44%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(60.9% 0.063 195.6) |
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 #538F8F | 3.68:1 | AA large text | Lc -69.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #538F8F | 5.69:1 | AA | Lc 39.7 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #538F8F text on white | 3.68:1 | AA large text | Lc 64.4 | Content text, not long reading |
| #538F8F text on black | 5.69:1 | AA | Lc -37.3 | 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
#E3ECEC
oklch(93.6% 0.01 197)
-
Step 200
200
#CDDDDD
oklch(88.6% 0.017 196.8)
-
Step 300
300
#ABC7C7
oklch(80.9% 0.03 196.6)
-
Step 400
400
#7DABAA
oklch(70.8% 0.049 194.4)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#538F8F
oklch(60.9% 0.063 195.6)
-
Step 600
600
#3D8080
oklch(55.7% 0.068 195.4)
-
Step 700
700
#2E6C6C
oklch(49.1% 0.063 195.3)
-
Step 800
800
#285858
oklch(42.7% 0.052 195.4)
-
Step 900
900
#254848
oklch(37.5% 0.041 195.6)
-
Step 950
950
#172A2A
oklch(26.9% 0.025 195.8)
#538F8F 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) | #888A8F | 0.065 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #7D8290 | 0.061 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #37928F | 0.023 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #858585 | 0.063 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #538F8F
#538F8F
oklch(60.9% 0.063 195.6)
- #A57476
#A57476
oklch(60.9% 0.062 16.3)
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 #538F8F, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.019
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.032
- Teal Green #0A9396 ΔE 0.039
- Grey Teal #5E9B8A ΔE 0.042
- Steel Grey #6F828A ΔE 0.045
- Persian Green #2A9D8F ΔE 0.047
- Dull Teal #5F9E8F ΔE 0.048
- Cadet Blue #5F9EA0 ΔE 0.048
Use #538F8F 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.