What color is #38E5CE?

#38E5CE is a medium, vivid teal. In RGB it is rgb(56, 229, 206), and in HSL hsl(172, 77%, 56%).

Is #38E5CE accessible as text?

On white, #38E5CE has a contrast ratio of 1.58:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 13.27:1 (passes). For text placed on #38E5CE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #38E5CE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is teal-300 (#46ECD5).

What colors go well with #38E5CE?

#38E5CE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #E5384F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #38E5CE below.

Is #38E5CE good for buttons?

#38E5CE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #38E5CE — white text only reaches 1.58:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #38E5CE the same as CSS turquoise?

No — #38E5CE is not the CSS named color turquoise, but turquoise (#40E0D0) is the closest CSS named color.

#38E5CE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #38E5CE

Not just a swatch — here's how #38E5CE works with other colors. Named schemes with #38E5CE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38E5CE Accent #A7C4BC Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1C3549

Turquoise 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 #38E5CE Secondary #AEB4B7 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7994A4 Anchor #2E3236

Turquoise keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #38E5CE Secondary #D3FFF8 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Turquoise 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 Turquoise carrying the quiet middle.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #38E5CE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #82FFF5

Turquoise is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Turquoise.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #38E5CE Anchor #382B1E Surface #ECE4D0 Accent #829C70 Secondary #3A3833

Turquoise 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 #38E5CE 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 23/100

Cool

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

Softness 61/100

High

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 17/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 32/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 28/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 23/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 54/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 21/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 42/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 69/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #38E5CE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #38E5CE with

Medium Spring Green Cornflower Blue Amaranth Platinum Dark Slate Gray

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with near-black label. AAA

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 11.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DCF5F2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #38C3E5 — 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 #38E5CE at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #38E5CE;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 229 206;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(83.2% 0.139 181.5);
  --color-50: #F1FEFC;
  --color-100: #DAFBF7;
  --color-200: #B7F5ED;
  --color-300: #86E9DC;
  --color-400: #59D9C8;
  --color-500: #37BEAC;
  --color-600: #319184;
  --color-700: #28665E;
  --color-800: #1E433E;
  --color-900: #142926;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  turquoise: {
    50: '#F1FEFC',
    100: '#DAFBF7',
    200: '#B7F5ED',
    300: '#86E9DC',
    400: '#59D9C8',
    500: '#37BEAC',
    600: '#319184',
    700: '#28665E',
    800: '#1E433E',
    900: '#142926',
  },
}

$base: #38E5CE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FEFC;
$base-100: #DAFBF7;
$base-200: #B7F5ED;
$base-300: #86E9DC;
$base-400: #59D9C8;
$base-500: #37BEAC;
$base-600: #319184;
$base-700: #28665E;
$base-800: #1E433E;
$base-900: #142926;
$base-hover: #1ACAB3;
$base-subtle: #CAF1EC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#38E5CE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FEFC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DAFBF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B7F5ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#86E9DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#59D9C8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#37BEAC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#319184",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#28665E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1E433E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142926",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}