Cyan #00FFFF
Cyan is a very light, vivid teal or cyan with hex code #00FFFF and RGB rgb(0, 255, 255).
Aa
Black text reads best on this color (16.74:1).
About this color
#00FFFF is a very light, vivid teal or cyan. In OKLCH its lightness is 91%, its chroma 0.155 and its hue 195°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. It is the named color Cyan. Black text reads best on it, at 16.74:1.
| Hue family | Teals and cyans |
| Lightness | very light (91%) |
| Chroma | vivid (0.155) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Cyan |
| Black text | 16.74:1 |
| White text | 1.25:1 |
Colors that go with Cyan
Matches found by rotating Cyan 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 Cyan
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Cyan, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Cyan, with their ΔE distance.
- Bright Turquoise #0FFEF9 ΔE 0.008
- Bright Cyan #41FDFE ΔE 0.012
- Bright Light Blue #26F7FD ΔE 0.021
- Bright Aqua #0BF9EA ΔE 0.029
- Robin's Egg #6DEDFD ΔE 0.054
- Robin Egg Blue #8AF1FE ΔE 0.062
- Light Aqua #8CFFDB ΔE 0.068
- Aquamarine #7FFFD4 ΔE 0.068
More about Cyan
How to make Cyan
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.
- 3 parts white
- 1 part green
Recipe result: #BDEAC4, a difference of ΔE 0.117 from Cyan. Cyan is more vivid than these paints can mix, so start from a ready-made teal or cyan paint and adjust it.
Codes for Cyan in every format
| HEX | #00FFFF |
| RGB | rgb(0, 255, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(180, 100%, 50%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(90.5% 0.155 194.8) |
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 #00FFFF | 1.25:1 | Fails | Lc -13.7 | Not readable |
| Black text on #00FFFF | 16.74:1 | AAA | Lc 91.8 | Preferred for body text |
| #00FFFF text on white | 1.25:1 | Fails | Lc 11.8 | Not readable |
| #00FFFF text on black | 16.74:1 | AAA | Lc -92.2 | Preferred for body text |
Shades and tints of Cyan
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 200.
-
Step 50
50
#E2FCFB
oklch(97.2% 0.027 193.9)
-
Step 100
100
#BEF7F6
oklch(93.7% 0.057 194.9)
-
Step 200
200 (this color)
#00FFFF
oklch(90.5% 0.155 194.8)
-
Step 300
300
#00DCDC
oklch(81% 0.138 194.8)
-
Step 400
400
#00B7B7
oklch(70.6% 0.12 194.8)
-
Step 500
500
#009D9D
oklch(63% 0.108 194.8)
-
Step 600
600
#008484
oklch(55.5% 0.095 194.8)
-
Step 700
700
#006F6F
oklch(49% 0.084 194.8)
-
Step 800
800
#005B5B
oklch(42.7% 0.073 194.8)
-
Step 900
900
#004C4C
oklch(37.7% 0.064 194.8)
-
Step 950
950
#002D2D
oklch(26.9% 0.046 194.8)
Cyan 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) | #EDF2FF | 0.161 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #D0DDFF | 0.149 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #00FFFE | 0.001 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #E5E5E5 | 0.155 |
Use Cyan 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.