What color is #42D4EA?

#42D4EA is a medium, vivid cyan. In RGB it is rgb(66, 212, 234), and in HSL hsl(188, 80%, 59%).

Is #42D4EA accessible as text?

On white, #42D4EA has a contrast ratio of 1.77:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 11.84:1 (passes). For text placed on #42D4EA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #42D4EA?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-400 (#00D3F2).

What colors go well with #42D4EA?

#42D4EA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #EA5943. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #42D4EA below.

Is #42D4EA good for buttons?

#42D4EA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #42D4EA — white text only reaches 1.77:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #42D4EA the same as CSS mediumturquoise?

No — #42D4EA is not the CSS named color mediumturquoise, but mediumturquoise (#48D1CC) is the closest CSS named color.

#42D4EA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #42D4EA

Not just a swatch — here's how #42D4EA works with other colors. Named schemes with #42D4EA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #42D4EA Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Lagoon 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 #42D4EA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Lagoon 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 #42D4EA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596671 Accent #83FAFF

Lagoon 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 Lagoon Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #42D4EA Secondary #CCF5FC Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Lagoon 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 Lagoon Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #42D4EA Anchor #372C1D Surface #EBE5D0 Accent #7F9D73 Secondary #3A3933

Lagoon 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 #42D4EA 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 16/100

Cool

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

Softness 62/100

High

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 20/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 5/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 27/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 48/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 27/100

Low

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

Surface fit 44/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 67/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #42D4EA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #42D4EA with

Seafoam Green Royal Blue Terracotta 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 10.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DEF3F6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #439CEA — 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 #42D4EA 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: #42D4EA;
  --color-base-rgb: 66 212 234;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(80.3% 0.123 209.7);
  --color-50: #F1FCFE;
  --color-100: #D9F7FC;
  --color-200: #B6EEF7;
  --color-300: #84DDEB;
  --color-400: #57CADB;
  --color-500: #34AEC1;
  --color-600: #2F8593;
  --color-700: #275F68;
  --color-800: #1D3F44;
  --color-900: #142729;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  lagoon-blue: {
    50: '#F1FCFE',
    100: '#D9F7FC',
    200: '#B6EEF7',
    300: '#84DDEB',
    400: '#57CADB',
    500: '#34AEC1',
    600: '#2F8593',
    700: '#275F68',
    800: '#1D3F44',
    900: '#142729',
  },
}

$base: #42D4EA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F1FCFE;
$base-100: #D9F7FC;
$base-200: #B6EEF7;
$base-300: #84DDEB;
$base-400: #57CADB;
$base-500: #34AEC1;
$base-600: #2F8593;
$base-700: #275F68;
$base-800: #1D3F44;
$base-900: #142729;
$base-hover: #18BFD9;
$base-subtle: #CDEEF3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#42D4EA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1FCFE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#D9F7FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B6EEF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#84DDEB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#57CADB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#34AEC1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#2F8593",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#275F68",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D3F44",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#142729",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}