What color is #16ABCD?

#16ABCD is a medium, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(22, 171, 205), and in HSL hsl(191, 81%, 45%).

Is #16ABCD accessible as text?

On white, #16ABCD has a contrast ratio of 2.71:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.74:1 (passes). For text placed on #16ABCD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16ABCD?

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

What colors go well with #16ABCD?

#16ABCD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D03816. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #16ABCD below.

Is #16ABCD good for buttons?

#16ABCD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #16ABCD — white text only reaches 2.71:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #16ABCD the same as CSS lightseagreen?

No — #16ABCD is not the CSS named color lightseagreen, but lightseagreen (#20B2AA) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#16ABCD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16ABCD

Not just a swatch — here's how #16ABCD works with other colors. Named schemes with #16ABCD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16ABCD Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

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 #16ABCD Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B94A5 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 #16ABCD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #63D0F0

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 #16ABCD Secondary #A9CDD9 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 #16ABCD Anchor #372C1D Surface #EBE5D0 Accent #7D9D74 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 #16ABCD 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 15/100

Cool

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

Softness 54/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 32/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 40/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 39/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 47/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 65/100

High

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

Surface fit 33/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 67/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #16ABCD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16ABCD 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 6.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D3EDF3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1670D0 — 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 #16ABCD 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: #16ABCD;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 171 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(68.6% 0.121 219.4);
  --color-50: #F1FCFE;
  --color-100: #D9F6FC;
  --color-200: #B5EBF7;
  --color-300: #83D9EC;
  --color-400: #56C3DC;
  --color-500: #33A8C2;
  --color-600: #2E8193;
  --color-700: #275C68;
  --color-800: #1D3D44;
  --color-900: #14262A;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F1FCFE',
    100: '#D9F6FC',
    200: '#B5EBF7',
    300: '#83D9EC',
    400: '#56C3DC',
    500: '#33A8C2',
    600: '#2E8193',
    700: '#275C68',
    800: '#1D3D44',
    900: '#14262A',
  },
}

$base: #16ABCD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FCFE;
$base-100: #D9F6FC;
$base-200: #B5EBF7;
$base-300: #83D9EC;
$base-400: #56C3DC;
$base-500: #33A8C2;
$base-600: #2E8193;
$base-700: #275C68;
$base-800: #1D3D44;
$base-900: #14262A;
$base-hover: #118BA6;
$base-subtle: #BBE5EF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16ABCD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FCFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D9F6FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B5EBF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#83D9EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#56C3DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#33A8C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2E8193",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#275C68",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D3D44",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#14262A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}