#81AB9C
Closest named color: Pewter (#96A8A1). oklch(70.6% 0.05 170.9), rgb(129, 171, 156).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (8.23:1).
About this color
#81AB9C is a medium-light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 71%, its chroma 0.050 and its hue 171°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pewter (#96A8A1), ΔE 0.029 away. Black text reads best on it, at 8.23:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (71%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.050) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pewter (#96A8A1) |
| Black text | 8.23:1 |
| White text | 2.54:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81AB9C |
| RGB | rgb(129, 171, 156) |
| HSL | hsl(159, 20%, 59%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(70.6% 0.05 170.9) |
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 #81AB9C | 2.54:1 | Fails | Lc -55.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81AB9C | 8.23:1 | AAA | Lc 54.1 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AB9C text on white | 2.54:1 | Fails | Lc 49.9 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #81AB9C text on black | 8.23:1 | AAA | Lc -52.0 | Large or bold text, headings |
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 400.
-
Step 50
50
#F3F6F5
oklch(97.1% 0.003 174.5)
-
Step 100
100
#E4ECE9
oklch(93.6% 0.009 171.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CEDDD7
oklch(88.5% 0.018 170)
-
Step 300
300
#ADC8BE
oklch(81% 0.032 171.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81AB9C
oklch(70.6% 0.05 170.9)
-
Step 500
500
#609684
oklch(63% 0.064 171.1)
-
Step 600
600
#45816E
oklch(55.7% 0.07 171)
-
Step 700
700
#366D5C
oklch(49.2% 0.065 171.2)
-
Step 800
800
#2D594B
oklch(42.8% 0.055 170.8)
-
Step 900
900
#29493E
oklch(37.7% 0.043 170)
-
Step 950
950
#192B25
oklch(27.1% 0.026 171.3)
#81AB9C 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) | #A8A59B | 0.052 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #A1A09D | 0.050 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #77ACA6 | 0.016 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #A2A2A2 | 0.051 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81AB9C
#81AB9C
oklch(70.6% 0.05 170.9)
- #BA94A4
#BA94A4
oklch(70.6% 0.05 351.3)
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 #81AB9C, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.029
- Muted Teal #90B494 ΔE 0.037
- Cool Grey #95A3A6 ΔE 0.040
- Grey Green #86A17D ΔE 0.043
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.046
- Cement #A5A391 ΔE 0.048
- Greeny Grey #7EA07A ΔE 0.049
- Cool Steel #97A7B3 ΔE 0.050
Use #81AB9C 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.