What color is #18A5CC?

#18A5CC is a medium, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(24, 165, 204), and in HSL hsl(193, 79%, 45%).

Is #18A5CC accessible as text?

On white, #18A5CC has a contrast ratio of 2.88:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.29:1 (passes). For text placed on #18A5CC, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #18A5CC?

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

What colors go well with #18A5CC?

#18A5CC pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CD3F18. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #18A5CC below.

Is #18A5CC good for buttons?

#18A5CC works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #18A5CC — white text only reaches 2.88:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #18A5CC the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #18A5CC is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) is the closest CSS named color.

#18A5CC Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #18A5CC

Not just a swatch — here's how #18A5CC works with other colors. Named schemes with #18A5CC in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #18A5CC 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 #18A5CC 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 #18A5CC Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #61CAEE

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 #18A5CC Secondary #A5C8D6 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 #18A5CC 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 #18A5CC 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 14/100

Cool

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

Softness 53/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 33/100

Low

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

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 41/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 41/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 47/100

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 32/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 68/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #18A5CC

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #18A5CC 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 #D3ECF3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #186ACD — 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 #18A5CC 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: #18A5CC;
  --color-base-rgb: 24 165 204;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(67.1% 0.121 223.4);
  --color-50: #F1FBFE;
  --color-100: #DAF4FC;
  --color-200: #B6E8F6;
  --color-300: #85D4EB;
  --color-400: #58BEDA;
  --color-500: #35A2C0;
  --color-600: #307D92;
  --color-700: #285967;
  --color-800: #1D3B43;
  --color-900: #142529;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F1FBFE',
    100: '#DAF4FC',
    200: '#B6E8F6',
    300: '#85D4EB',
    400: '#58BEDA',
    500: '#35A2C0',
    600: '#307D92',
    700: '#285967',
    800: '#1D3B43',
    900: '#142529',
  },
}

$base: #18A5CC;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FBFE;
$base-100: #DAF4FC;
$base-200: #B6E8F6;
$base-300: #85D4EB;
$base-400: #58BEDA;
$base-500: #35A2C0;
$base-600: #307D92;
$base-700: #285967;
$base-800: #1D3B43;
$base-900: #142529;
$base-hover: #1385A4;
$base-subtle: #BCE3EE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#18A5CC",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FBFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAF4FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B6E8F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#85D4EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#58BEDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#35A2C0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#307D92",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#285967",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D3B43",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142529",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #18A5CC

Color Lab

Pairs with #18A5CC

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export