What color is #51BBDE?

#51BBDE is a medium cyan. In RGB it is rgb(81, 187, 222), and in HSL hsl(195, 68%, 59%).

Is #51BBDE accessible as text?

On white, #51BBDE has a contrast ratio of 2.21:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 9.51:1 (passes). For text placed on #51BBDE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #51BBDE?

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

What colors go well with #51BBDE?

#51BBDE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #DE734F. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #51BBDE below.

Is #51BBDE good for buttons?

#51BBDE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #51BBDE — white text only reaches 2.21:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #51BBDE the same as CSS deepskyblue?

No — #51BBDE is not the CSS named color deepskyblue, but deepskyblue (#00BFFF) is the closest CSS named color.

#51BBDE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #51BBDE

Not just a swatch — here's how #51BBDE works with other colors. Named schemes with #51BBDE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #51BBDE Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DEDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E344A

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 #51BBDE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 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 #51BBDE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #86E1FF

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 #51BBDE Secondary #BFDFEB Support #969386 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 #51BBDE Anchor #372C1D Surface #EBE5D0 Accent #7D9D75 Secondary #393933

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 #51BBDE 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 18/100

Cool

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

Softness 60/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 26/100

Low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 34/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 42/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 43/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 43/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 71/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #51BBDE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #51BBDE 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 8.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E0EFF4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #4F8BDE — 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 #51BBDE 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: #51BBDE;
  --color-base-rgb: 81 187 222;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(74.4% 0.109 223.0);
  --color-50: #F2FAFD;
  --color-100: #DCF2F9;
  --color-200: #BBE4F2;
  --color-300: #8CCEE3;
  --color-400: #61B5D1;
  --color-500: #3F98B6;
  --color-600: #37768B;
  --color-700: #2C5563;
  --color-800: #203941;
  --color-900: #152328;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  lagoon-blue: {
    50: '#F2FAFD',
    100: '#DCF2F9',
    200: '#BBE4F2',
    300: '#8CCEE3',
    400: '#61B5D1',
    500: '#3F98B6',
    600: '#37768B',
    700: '#2C5563',
    800: '#203941',
    900: '#152328',
  },
}

$base: #51BBDE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F2FAFD;
$base-100: #DCF2F9;
$base-200: #BBE4F2;
$base-300: #8CCEE3;
$base-400: #61B5D1;
$base-500: #3F98B6;
$base-600: #37768B;
$base-700: #2C5563;
$base-800: #203941;
$base-900: #152328;
$base-hover: #27A1CA;
$base-subtle: #CFE8F0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#51BBDE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2FAFD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DCF2F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BBE4F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8CCEE3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#61B5D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3F98B6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#37768B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2C5563",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#203941",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#152328",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #51BBDE

Color Lab

Pairs with #51BBDE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export