What color is #038A98?

#038A98 is a dark, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(3, 138, 152), and in HSL hsl(186, 96%, 30%).

Is #038A98 accessible as text?

On white, #038A98 has a contrast ratio of 4.12:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.09:1 (passes). For text placed on #038A98, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #038A98?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is teal-600 (#009689).

What colors go well with #038A98?

#038A98 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #961203. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #038A98 below.

Is #038A98 good for buttons?

#038A98 works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #038A98 — white text only reaches 4.12:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #038A98 the same as CSS darkcyan?

No — #038A98 is not the CSS named color darkcyan, but darkcyan (#008B8B) is the closest CSS named color.

#038A98 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #038A98

Not just a swatch — here's how #038A98 works with other colors. Named schemes with #038A98 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #038A98 Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Dark Cyan opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #038A98 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #52AEBB

Dark Cyan is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Dark Cyan.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #038A98 Secondary #715117 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #395143 Anchor #56233F

Dark Cyan plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #038A98 Surface #EFE8D6 Anchor #582249 Accent #E3C2CE Secondary #322B30

Dark Cyan sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #038A98 Secondary #8CABAF Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Dark Cyan is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Dark Cyan carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #038A98 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 23/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 49/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 42/100

Moderate

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 6/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 56/100

Moderate

Faded, nostalgic quality — editorial, heritage and retro work.

Luxury 49/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 27/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 89/100

Very high

Strong interactive accent — visible and can carry a legible label.

Surface fit 30/100

Low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 74/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #038A98

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #038A98 with

Medium Sea Green Egyptian Blue Falu Red Platinum Dark Slate Gray

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AA

Body text Do not use for body copy on light surfaces. Avoid

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 4.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C3EFF4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #035696 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #038A98 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #038A98;
  --color-base-rgb: 3 138 152;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(57.9% 0.099 207.4);
  --color-50: #F0FDFE;
  --color-100: #D8FAFD;
  --color-200: #B1F4FC;
  --color-300: #7AE9F6;
  --color-400: #4AD9E8;
  --color-500: #26BECF;
  --color-600: #25919D;
  --color-700: #21666E;
  --color-800: #194348;
  --color-900: #12292C;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-cyan: {
    50: '#F0FDFE',
    100: '#D8FAFD',
    200: '#B1F4FC',
    300: '#7AE9F6',
    400: '#4AD9E8',
    500: '#26BECF',
    600: '#25919D',
    700: '#21666E',
    800: '#194348',
    900: '#12292C',
  },
}

$base: #038A98;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0FDFE;
$base-100: #D8FAFD;
$base-200: #B1F4FC;
$base-300: #7AE9F6;
$base-400: #4AD9E8;
$base-500: #26BECF;
$base-600: #25919D;
$base-700: #21666E;
$base-800: #194348;
$base-900: #12292C;
$base-hover: #026C78;
$base-subtle: #A2E9F1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#038A98",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0FDFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8FAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B1F4FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#7AE9F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#4AD9E8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#26BECF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#25919D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#21666E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#194348",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#12292C",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #038A98

Color Lab

Pairs with #038A98

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export