What color is #12909B?

#12909B is a dark, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(18, 144, 155), and in HSL hsl(185, 79%, 34%).

Is #12909B accessible as text?

On white, #12909B has a contrast ratio of 3.83:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.49:1 (passes). For text placed on #12909B, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #12909B?

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

What colors go well with #12909B?

#12909B pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #9B1E12. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #12909B below.

Is #12909B good for buttons?

#12909B works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #12909B — white text only reaches 3.83:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #12909B the same as CSS darkcyan?

No — #12909B is not the CSS named color darkcyan, but darkcyan (#008B8B) is the closest CSS named color.

#12909B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #12909B

Not just a swatch — here's how #12909B works with other colors. Named schemes with #12909B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #12909B 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 #12909B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #57B4BE

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 #12909B Secondary #715017 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #395143 Anchor #55233F

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 #12909B Surface #EFE8D6 Anchor #58224A 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 #12909B Secondary #91B1B4 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #12909B 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 50/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 40/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 8/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 54/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 27/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 86/100

Very high

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

Surface fit 32/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 74/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #12909B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #12909B with

Emerald Green Cobalt Blue Cherry 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 4.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CAEDF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #12629B — 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 #12909B 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: #12909B;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 144 155;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(59.7% 0.099 204.6);
  --color-50: #F1FDFE;
  --color-100: #DAF9FC;
  --color-200: #B6F1F6;
  --color-300: #85E2EB;
  --color-400: #58CFDA;
  --color-500: #35B4C0;
  --color-600: #308A92;
  --color-700: #286267;
  --color-800: #1D4043;
  --color-900: #142829;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-cyan: {
    50: '#F1FDFE',
    100: '#DAF9FC',
    200: '#B6F1F6',
    300: '#85E2EB',
    400: '#58CFDA',
    500: '#35B4C0',
    600: '#308A92',
    700: '#286267',
    800: '#1D4043',
    900: '#142829',
  },
}

$base: #12909B;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FDFE;
$base-100: #DAF9FC;
$base-200: #B6F1F6;
$base-300: #85E2EB;
$base-400: #58CFDA;
$base-500: #35B4C0;
$base-600: #308A92;
$base-700: #286267;
$base-800: #1D4043;
$base-900: #142829;
$base-hover: #0F737C;
$base-subtle: #AEE6EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#12909B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FDFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAF9FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B6F1F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#85E2EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#58CFDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#35B4C0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#308A92",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#286267",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D4043",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142829",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #12909B

Color Lab

Pairs with #12909B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export