#81BCB5
Closest named color: Pale Teal (#82CBB2). oklch(75.3% 0.062 186.7), rgb(129, 188, 181).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (9.79:1).
About this color
#81BCB5 is a medium-light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 75%, its chroma 0.062 and its hue 187°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Pale Teal (#82CBB2), ΔE 0.044 away. Black text reads best on it, at 9.79:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (75%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.062) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Pale Teal (#82CBB2) |
| Black text | 9.79:1 |
| White text | 2.14:1 |
Values
| HEX | #81BCB5 |
| RGB | rgb(129, 188, 181) |
| HSL | hsl(173, 31%, 62%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(75.3% 0.062 186.7) |
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 #81BCB5 | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc -46.7 | Large or bold text, headings |
| Black text on #81BCB5 | 9.79:1 | AAA | Lc 61.9 | Content text, not long reading |
| #81BCB5 text on white | 2.14:1 | Fails | Lc 42.0 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
| #81BCB5 text on black | 9.79:1 | AAA | Lc -60.2 | Content text, not long reading |
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
#F2F7F6
oklch(97.2% 0.005 183)
-
Step 100
100
#E2ECEB
oklch(93.5% 0.011 189.8)
-
Step 200
200
#CADEDB
oklch(88.5% 0.022 186)
-
Step 300
300
#A5C9C4
oklch(80.8% 0.039 186.1)
-
Step 400
400 (this color)
#81BCB5
oklch(75.3% 0.062 186.7)
-
Step 500
500
#4A9991
oklch(63.1% 0.079 186.7)
-
Step 600
600
#25837B
oklch(55.5% 0.086 186.7)
-
Step 700
700
#156F68
oklch(49.1% 0.08 186.9)
-
Step 800
800
#175B55
oklch(42.8% 0.066 186.4)
-
Step 900
900
#1B4A46
oklch(37.6% 0.051 187.6)
-
Step 950
950
#112C29
oklch(27.1% 0.034 185.9)
#81BCB5 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) | #B6B6B5 | 0.066 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #ABAEB6 | 0.062 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #6DBFBA | 0.020 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #B1B1B1 | 0.062 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #81BCB5
#81BCB5
oklch(75.3% 0.062 186.7)
- #D29FA8
#D29FA8
oklch(75.3% 0.062 6.9)
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 #81BCB5, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Pale Teal #82CBB2 ΔE 0.044
- Muted Teal #90B494 ΔE 0.044
- Dark Sea Green #8FBC8F ΔE 0.053
- Pewter #96A8A1 ΔE 0.055
- Seafoam Blue #78D1B6 ΔE 0.059
- French Gray #ADB5BD ΔE 0.059
- Light Grey Blue #9DBCD4 ΔE 0.059
- Medium Aquamarine #66CDAA ΔE 0.059
Use #81BCB5 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.