What color is #2CA6CE?

#2CA6CE is a medium cyan. In RGB it is rgb(44, 166, 206), and in HSL hsl(195, 65%, 49%).

Is #2CA6CE accessible as text?

On white, #2CA6CE has a contrast ratio of 2.82:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.45:1 (passes). For text placed on #2CA6CE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #2CA6CE?

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

What colors go well with #2CA6CE?

#2CA6CE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #CE542C. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #2CA6CE below.

Is #2CA6CE good for buttons?

#2CA6CE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #2CA6CE — white text only reaches 2.82:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #2CA6CE the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #2CA6CE is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) is the closest CSS named color.

#2CA6CE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #2CA6CE

Not just a swatch — here's how #2CA6CE works with other colors. Named schemes with #2CA6CE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #2CA6CE 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 #2CA6CE 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 #2CA6CE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #6ACBF0

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 #2CA6CE Secondary #A8CAD8 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 #2CA6CE 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 #2CA6CE 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 1/100

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

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 45/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 67/100

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 69/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #2CA6CE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #2CA6CE with

Medium Aquamarine Cerulean Burnt Orange 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 6.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9EBF1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2C6FCE — 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 #2CA6CE 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: #2CA6CE;
  --color-base-rgb: 44 166 206;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(67.8% 0.117 225.3);
  --color-50: #F2FAFD;
  --color-100: #DDF2F9;
  --color-200: #BCE3F1;
  --color-300: #8ECDE2;
  --color-400: #63B4CF;
  --color-500: #4197B4;
  --color-600: #387589;
  --color-700: #2D5562;
  --color-800: #213840;
  --color-900: #162327;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F2FAFD',
    100: '#DDF2F9',
    200: '#BCE3F1',
    300: '#8ECDE2',
    400: '#63B4CF',
    500: '#4197B4',
    600: '#387589',
    700: '#2D5562',
    800: '#213840',
    900: '#162327',
  },
}

$base: #2CA6CE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2FAFD;
$base-100: #DDF2F9;
$base-200: #BCE3F1;
$base-300: #8ECDE2;
$base-400: #63B4CF;
$base-500: #4197B4;
$base-600: #387589;
$base-700: #2D5562;
$base-800: #213840;
$base-900: #162327;
$base-hover: #2384A5;
$base-subtle: #C5E2EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#2CA6CE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2FAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DDF2F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BCE3F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8ECDE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#63B4CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4197B4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#387589",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2D5562",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#213840",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#162327",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #2CA6CE

Color Lab

Pairs with #2CA6CE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export