What color is #12E3EE?

#12E3EE is a medium, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(18, 227, 238), and in HSL hsl(183, 87%, 50%).

Is #12E3EE accessible as text?

On white, #12E3EE has a contrast ratio of 1.59:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 13.25:1 (passes). For text placed on #12E3EE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #12E3EE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-300 (#53EAFD).

What colors go well with #12E3EE?

#12E3EE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EE1C11. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #12E3EE below.

Is #12E3EE good for buttons?

#12E3EE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #12E3EE — white text only reaches 1.59:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #12E3EE the same as CSS turquoise?

No — #12E3EE is not the CSS named color turquoise, but turquoise (#40E0D0) is the closest CSS named color.

#12E3EE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #12E3EE

Not just a swatch — here's how #12E3EE works with other colors. Named schemes with #12E3EE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #12E3EE Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Turquoise 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 #12E3EE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Turquoise 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 #12E3EE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596771 Accent #76FFFF

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #12E3EE Secondary #D1FFFF Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Turquoise 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 Turquoise carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #12E3EE Anchor #372C1D Surface #EBE5D0 Accent #809D72 Secondary #3A3933

Turquoise 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 #12E3EE 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 61/100

High

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 17/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 9/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 26/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 23/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 54/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 20/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 42/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 63/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #12E3EE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #12E3EE with

Medium Spring Green Royal Blue Fire Engine Red Platinum Dark Slate Gray

UI roles & guardrails

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

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 11.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D6F4F5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1199EE — 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 #12E3EE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #12E3EE;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 227 238;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(83.4% 0.140 201.1);
  --color-50: #F0FEFE;
  --color-100: #D8FBFD;
  --color-200: #B3F6FA;
  --color-300: #7FEAF0;
  --color-400: #51DAE1;
  --color-500: #2EBFC7;
  --color-600: #2B9297;
  --color-700: #24676B;
  --color-800: #1C4345;
  --color-900: #13292A;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  turquoise: {
    50: '#F0FEFE',
    100: '#D8FBFD',
    200: '#B3F6FA',
    300: '#7FEAF0',
    400: '#51DAE1',
    500: '#2EBFC7',
    600: '#2B9297',
    700: '#24676B',
    800: '#1C4345',
    900: '#13292A',
  },
}

$base: #12E3EE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F0FEFE;
$base-100: #D8FBFD;
$base-200: #B3F6FA;
$base-300: #7FEAF0;
$base-400: #51DAE1;
$base-500: #2EBFC7;
$base-600: #2B9297;
$base-700: #24676B;
$base-800: #1C4345;
$base-900: #13292A;
$base-hover: #0DB6BF;
$base-subtle: #BFF0F2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#12E3EE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F0FEFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D8FBFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B3F6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#7FEAF0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#51DAE1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#2EBFC7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2B9297",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#24676B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1C4345",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#13292A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}