What color is #23A8CD?

#23A8CD is a medium, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(35, 168, 205), and in HSL hsl(193, 71%, 47%).

Is #23A8CD accessible as text?

On white, #23A8CD has a contrast ratio of 2.78:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.55:1 (passes). For text placed on #23A8CD, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #23A8CD?

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

What colors go well with #23A8CD?

#23A8CD pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CD4823. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #23A8CD below.

Is #23A8CD good for buttons?

#23A8CD works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #23A8CD — white text only reaches 2.78:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #23A8CD the same as CSS lightseagreen?

No — #23A8CD 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.

#23A8CD Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #23A8CD

Not just a swatch — here's how #23A8CD works with other colors. Named schemes with #23A8CD in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #23A8CD 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 #23A8CD 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 #23A8CD Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #66CDEF

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 #23A8CD Secondary #A8CBD8 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 #23A8CD 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 #23A8CD 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

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 40/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 46/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 66/100

High

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

Surface fit 34/100

Low

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 68/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #23A8CD

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #23A8CD with

Medium Aquamarine Cerulean 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 6.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D6ECF2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #236FCD — 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 #23A8CD 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: #23A8CD;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 168 205;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(68.1% 0.119 222.4);
  --color-50: #F1FBFD;
  --color-100: #DBF3FA;
  --color-200: #B9E7F3;
  --color-300: #8AD2E5;
  --color-400: #5EBAD4;
  --color-500: #3C9EB9;
  --color-600: #357A8D;
  --color-700: #2B5864;
  --color-800: #1F3A42;
  --color-900: #152428;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F1FBFD',
    100: '#DBF3FA',
    200: '#B9E7F3',
    300: '#8AD2E5',
    400: '#5EBAD4',
    500: '#3C9EB9',
    600: '#357A8D',
    700: '#2B5864',
    800: '#1F3A42',
    900: '#152428',
  },
}

$base: #23A8CD;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FBFD;
$base-100: #DBF3FA;
$base-200: #B9E7F3;
$base-300: #8AD2E5;
$base-400: #5EBAD4;
$base-500: #3C9EB9;
$base-600: #357A8D;
$base-700: #2B5864;
$base-800: #1F3A42;
$base-900: #152428;
$base-hover: #1C86A4;
$base-subtle: #C1E3EC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#23A8CD",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FBFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBF3FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9E7F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8AD2E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5EBAD4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3C9EB9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#357A8D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B5864",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F3A42",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152428",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #23A8CD

Color Lab

Pairs with #23A8CD

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export