What color is #12A5CE?

#12A5CE is a medium, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(18, 165, 206), and in HSL hsl(193, 84%, 44%).

Is #12A5CE accessible as text?

On white, #12A5CE has a contrast ratio of 2.88:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.30:1 (passes). For text placed on #12A5CE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #12A5CE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-500 (#00B8DB).

What colors go well with #12A5CE?

#12A5CE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CE3B12. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #12A5CE below.

Is #12A5CE good for buttons?

#12A5CE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #12A5CE — white text only reaches 2.88:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #12A5CE the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #12A5CE is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) is the closest CSS named color.

#12A5CE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #12A5CE

Not just a swatch — here's how #12A5CE works with other colors. Named schemes with #12A5CE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #12A5CE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E344A

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

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #12A5CE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 Anchor #2E3236

Carolina Blue keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #12A5CE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #60CAF0

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #12A5CE Secondary #A4C8D7 Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Carolina Blue 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 Carolina Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #12A5CE Anchor #372C1D Surface #EBE5D0 Accent #7D9D75 Secondary #393933

Carolina Blue anchors this café scheme as the warm mid-tone, lifted by latte cream and a muted sage accent and grounded by espresso brown and a warm charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #12A5CE 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 13/100

Cool

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

Softness 52/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 33/100

Low

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

Naturalness 1/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 40/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 48/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 70/100

High

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

Surface fit 31/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 67/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #12A5CE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #12A5CE with

Medium Spring Green Sapphire Blue Mahogany 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 Only on dark surfaces. Avoid

Background Pair with #141310 text at 6.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D1ECF4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1267CE — 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 #12A5CE 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: #12A5CE;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 165 206;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(67.2% 0.124 224.3);
  --color-50: #F0FBFE;
  --color-100: #D8F5FD;
  --color-200: #B4EAF8;
  --color-300: #81D6EE;
  --color-400: #53C0DF;
  --color-500: #30A4C4;
  --color-600: #2D7F95;
  --color-700: #255B69;
  --color-800: #1C3C45;
  --color-900: #13252A;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F0FBFE',
    100: '#D8F5FD',
    200: '#B4EAF8',
    300: '#81D6EE',
    400: '#53C0DF',
    500: '#30A4C4',
    600: '#2D7F95',
    700: '#255B69',
    800: '#1C3C45',
    900: '#13252A',
  },
}

$base: #12A5CE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0FBFE;
$base-100: #D8F5FD;
$base-200: #B4EAF8;
$base-300: #81D6EE;
$base-400: #53C0DF;
$base-500: #30A4C4;
$base-600: #2D7F95;
$base-700: #255B69;
$base-800: #1C3C45;
$base-900: #13252A;
$base-hover: #0E84A5;
$base-subtle: #B9E4F0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#12A5CE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0FBFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8F5FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B4EAF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#81D6EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#53C0DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#30A4C4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2D7F95",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#255B69",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1C3C45",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#13252A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #12A5CE

Color Lab

Pairs with #12A5CE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export