What color is #178B8D?

#178B8D is a dark, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(23, 139, 141), and in HSL hsl(181, 72%, 32%).

Is #178B8D accessible as text?

On white, #178B8D has a contrast ratio of 4.11:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.11:1 (passes). For text placed on #178B8D, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #178B8D?

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

What colors go well with #178B8D?

#178B8D pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #8C1917. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #178B8D below.

Is #178B8D good for buttons?

#178B8D works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #178B8D — white text only reaches 4.11:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #178B8D the same as CSS darkcyan?

No — #178B8D is not the CSS named color darkcyan, but darkcyan (#008B8B) is the closest CSS named color.

#178B8D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #178B8D

Not just a swatch — here's how #178B8D works with other colors. Named schemes with #178B8D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #178B8D Accent #A6C4BD Surface #E0DABE 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.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #178B8D Secondary #715017 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #3A5142 Anchor #552340

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.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #178B8D Anchor #382C1E Surface #ECE4D0 Accent #809C72 Secondary #3A3933

Dark Cyan 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #178B8D Surface #EFE8D6 Anchor #57234A Accent #E5C4B7 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 #178B8D Secondary #8DABAB 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 #178B8D 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 27/100

Cool

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

Softness 50/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 42/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 14/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 59/100

Moderate

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

Luxury 49/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 25/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 88/100

Very 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 76/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #178B8D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #178B8D with

Medium Sea Green Classic Blue Sangria 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 #CAEEEE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #17638C — 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 #178B8D 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: #178B8D;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 139 141;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(58.0% 0.094 196.7);
  --color-50: #F1FDFD;
  --color-100: #DBFAFA;
  --color-200: #B9F2F3;
  --color-300: #89E5E6;
  --color-400: #5DD3D5;
  --color-500: #3BB8BA;
  --color-600: #348C8E;
  --color-700: #2A6364;
  --color-800: #1F4142;
  --color-900: #152828;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-cyan: {
    50: '#F1FDFD',
    100: '#DBFAFA',
    200: '#B9F2F3',
    300: '#89E5E6',
    400: '#5DD3D5',
    500: '#3BB8BA',
    600: '#348C8E',
    700: '#2A6364',
    800: '#1F4142',
    900: '#152828',
  },
}

$base: #178B8D;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FDFD;
$base-100: #DBFAFA;
$base-200: #B9F2F3;
$base-300: #89E5E6;
$base-400: #5DD3D5;
$base-500: #3BB8BA;
$base-600: #348C8E;
$base-700: #2A6364;
$base-800: #1F4142;
$base-900: #152828;
$base-hover: #126F70;
$base-subtle: #AFE6E7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#178B8D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FDFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBFAFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9F2F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#89E5E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5DD3D5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3BB8BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#348C8E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2A6364",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F4142",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152828",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #178B8D

Color Lab

Pairs with #178B8D

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export