Cadet Blue #5F9EA0
Cadet Blue is a medium-light, muted teal or cyan with hex code #5F9EA0 and RGB rgb(95, 158, 160).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (6.88:1).
About this color
#5F9EA0 is a medium-light, muted teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 66%, its chroma 0.065 and its hue 198°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. It is the named color Cadet Blue. Black text reads best on it, at 6.88:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | medium-light (66%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.065) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cadet Blue |
| Black text | 6.88:1 |
| White text | 3.05:1 |
Colors that go with Cadet Blue
Matches found by rotating Cadet Blue around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Color palettes with Cadet Blue
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Cadet Blue, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Cadet Blue, with their ΔE distance.
- Dull Teal #5F9E8F ΔE 0.026
- Grey Teal #5E9B8A ΔE 0.032
- Sea #3C9992 ΔE 0.041
- Greyblue #77A1B5 ΔE 0.043
- Persian Green #2A9D8F ΔE 0.050
- Blue Grey #758DA3 ΔE 0.054
- Bluegrey #85A3B2 ΔE 0.055
- Dusty Teal #4C9085 ΔE 0.056
More about Cadet Blue
How to make Cadet Blue
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 2 parts blue
- 2 parts white
- 1 part brown
Recipe result: #61989F, a difference of ΔE 0.017 from Cadet Blue. That is very close: most people will not see the difference.
Codes for Cadet Blue in every format
| HEX | #5F9EA0 |
| RGB | rgb(95, 158, 160) |
| HSL | hsl(182, 25%, 50%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(65.8% 0.065 198.3) |
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 #5F9EA0 | 3.05:1 | AA large text | Lc -62.6 | Content text, not long reading |
| Black text on #5F9EA0 | 6.88:1 | AA | Lc 46.8 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #5F9EA0 text on white | 3.05:1 | AA large text | Lc 57.2 | Large or bold text, headings |
| #5F9EA0 text on black | 6.88:1 | AA | Lc -44.5 | Non-text elements, placeholder text |
Shades and tints of Cadet Blue
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
#CCDDDD
oklch(88.5% 0.018 196.8)
-
Step 300
300
#AAC7C8
oklch(80.9% 0.031 199.1)
-
Step 400
400
#7BABAC
oklch(70.8% 0.051 197.7)
-
Step 500
500 (this color)
#5F9EA0
oklch(65.8% 0.065 198.3)
-
Step 600
600
#398082
oklch(55.6% 0.071 197.8)
-
Step 700
700
#2B6C6E
oklch(49.1% 0.065 198)
-
Step 800
800
#25585A
oklch(42.7% 0.054 198.8)
-
Step 900
900
#24494A
oklch(37.8% 0.042 197.8)
-
Step 950
950
#162B2B
oklch(27.2% 0.027 195.7)
Cadet Blue 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) | #9699A0 | 0.067 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #8B90A0 | 0.063 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #42A29E | 0.026 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #949494 | 0.066 |
Use Cadet Blue 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.