What color is #538C8D?

#538C8D is a medium, muted cyan. In RGB it is rgb(83, 140, 141), and in HSL hsl(181, 26%, 44%).

Is #538C8D accessible as text?

On white, #538C8D has a contrast ratio of 3.82:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 5.50:1 (passes). For text placed on #538C8D, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #538C8D?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is teal-600 (#009689).

What colors go well with #538C8D?

#538C8D pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #8D5453. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #538C8D below.

Is #538C8D good for buttons?

#538C8D works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #538C8D — white text only reaches 3.82:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #538C8D the same as CSS darkcyan?

No — #538C8D is not the CSS named color darkcyan, but darkcyan (#008B8B) is the closest CSS named color.

#538C8D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #538C8D

Not just a swatch — here's how #538C8D works with other colors. Named schemes with #538C8D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #538C8D Accent #A6C4BD Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1D3549

Dark Cyan 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 #538C8D Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #538C8D Secondary #715017 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #3A5142 Anchor #552340

Dark Cyan plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Modern Café Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #538C8D Anchor #382C1E Surface #ECE4D0 Accent #809C72 Secondary #3A3933

Dark Cyan 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #538C8D Secondary #9DB0B0 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Dark Cyan 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 Dark Cyan carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #538C8D 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 35/100

Cool

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

Softness 56/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 38/100

Low

Mid depth — usable as an accent or a muted ground.

Naturalness 10/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 49/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 45/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 23/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 70/100

High

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

Surface fit 44/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 85/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #538C8D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #538C8D with

Jungle Green Teal Blue Mauve Taupe 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 Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with #141310 text at 4.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DDE8E8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #53798D — 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 #538C8D at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #538C8D;
  --color-base-rgb: 83 140 141;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(60.1% 0.060 197.1);
  --color-50: #F5F9FA;
  --color-100: #E5F0F0;
  --color-200: #CCE0E1;
  --color-300: #A7C8C8;
  --color-400: #83AEAF;
  --color-500: #649191;
  --color-600: #517171;
  --color-700: #3D5252;
  --color-800: #2A3637;
  --color-900: #1B2222;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  dark-cyan: {
    50: '#F5F9FA',
    100: '#E5F0F0',
    200: '#CCE0E1',
    300: '#A7C8C8',
    400: '#83AEAF',
    500: '#649191',
    600: '#517171',
    700: '#3D5252',
    800: '#2A3637',
    900: '#1B2222',
  },
}

$base: #538C8D;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F5F9FA;
$base-100: #E5F0F0;
$base-200: #CCE0E1;
$base-300: #A7C8C8;
$base-400: #83AEAF;
$base-500: #649191;
$base-600: #517171;
$base-700: #3D5252;
$base-800: #2A3637;
$base-900: #1B2222;
$base-hover: #427071;
$base-subtle: #CCDCDD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#538C8D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F9FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5F0F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CCE0E1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A7C8C8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#83AEAF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#649191",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#517171",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3D5252",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A3637",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2222",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #538C8D

Color Lab

Pairs with #538C8D

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export