What color is #188E8A?

#188E8A is a dark, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(24, 142, 138), and in HSL hsl(178, 71%, 33%).

Is #188E8A accessible as text?

On white, #188E8A has a contrast ratio of 3.98:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.28:1 (passes). For text placed on #188E8A, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #188E8A?

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

What colors go well with #188E8A?

#188E8A pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #90181C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #188E8A below.

Is #188E8A good for buttons?

#188E8A works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #188E8A — white text only reaches 3.98:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #188E8A the same as CSS darkcyan?

No — #188E8A is not the CSS named color darkcyan, but darkcyan (#008B8B) is the closest CSS named color.

#188E8A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #188E8A

Not just a swatch — here's how #188E8A works with other colors. Named schemes with #188E8A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #188E8A Accent #A7C4BD Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1C3549

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 #188E8A Secondary #725018 Surface #E4DCC0 Accent #3A5142 Anchor #552341

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 #188E8A Anchor #382B1E Surface #ECE4D0 Accent #819C71 Secondary #3A3833

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 #188E8A Surface #EFE8D6 Anchor #57234B 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 #188E8A Secondary #8FAEAC 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 #188E8A 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 28/100

Cool

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

Softness 50/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 41/100

Moderate

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

Naturalness 20/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 59/100

Moderate

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

Luxury 48/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 26/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 87/100

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 77/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #188E8A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #188E8A 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 4.7:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #186C90 — 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 #188E8A at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #188E8A;
  --color-base-rgb: 24 142 138;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(58.6% 0.096 191.2);
  --color-50: #F1FDFD;
  --color-100: #DBFAF9;
  --color-200: #B9F3F1;
  --color-300: #8AE5E2;
  --color-400: #5ED4D0;
  --color-500: #3CB9B5;
  --color-600: #358D8A;
  --color-700: #2B6462;
  --color-800: #1F4240;
  --color-900: #152828;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-cyan: {
    50: '#F1FDFD',
    100: '#DBFAF9',
    200: '#B9F3F1',
    300: '#8AE5E2',
    400: '#5ED4D0',
    500: '#3CB9B5',
    600: '#358D8A',
    700: '#2B6462',
    800: '#1F4240',
    900: '#152828',
  },
}

$base: #188E8A;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FDFD;
$base-100: #DBFAF9;
$base-200: #B9F3F1;
$base-300: #8AE5E2;
$base-400: #5ED4D0;
$base-500: #3CB9B5;
$base-600: #358D8A;
$base-700: #2B6462;
$base-800: #1F4240;
$base-900: #152828;
$base-hover: #147370;
$base-subtle: #B0E7E6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#188E8A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FDFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBFAF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9F3F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AE5E2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5ED4D0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3CB9B5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#358D8A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B6462",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F4240",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152828",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #188E8A

Color Lab

Pairs with #188E8A

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export