What color is #53A0AE?

#53A0AE is a medium cyan. In RGB it is rgb(83, 160, 174), and in HSL hsl(189, 36%, 50%).

Is #53A0AE accessible as text?

On white, #53A0AE has a contrast ratio of 3.00:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.01:1 (passes). For text placed on #53A0AE, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #53A0AE?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is cyan-600 (#0092B8).

What colors go well with #53A0AE?

#53A0AE pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #AD5F52. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #53A0AE below.

Is #53A0AE good for buttons?

#53A0AE works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #53A0AE — white text only reaches 3.00:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #53A0AE the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #53A0AE is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) is the closest CSS named color.

#53A0AE Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #53A0AE

Not just a swatch — here's how #53A0AE works with other colors. Named schemes with #53A0AE in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #53A0AE Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

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

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #53A0AE Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

Cadet Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #53A0AE Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B4B19F Ink #2A2723

Cadet Blue sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #53A0AE Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #81C5D2

Cadet 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 Cadet Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #53A0AE Secondary #ABC4C8 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Cadet 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 Cadet Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #53A0AE 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 28/100

Cool

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

Softness 58/100

Moderate

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 33/100

Low

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

Naturalness 4/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 48/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 40/100

Moderate

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 30/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 63/100

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 79/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #53A0AE

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #53A0AE with

Dark Sea Green Very Peri Sienna 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 6.2:1. Use

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

Avoid beside #5281AD — 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 #53A0AE 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: #53A0AE;
  --color-base-rgb: 83 160 174;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(66.2% 0.079 210.8);
  --color-50: #F4F9FA;
  --color-100: #E3F0F2;
  --color-200: #C8E0E5;
  --color-300: #A0C8CF;
  --color-400: #7BAEB7;
  --color-500: #5B919A;
  --color-600: #4A7177;
  --color-700: #395256;
  --color-800: #283739;
  --color-900: #1A2223;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  cadet-blue: {
    50: '#F4F9FA',
    100: '#E3F0F2',
    200: '#C8E0E5',
    300: '#A0C8CF',
    400: '#7BAEB7',
    500: '#5B919A',
    600: '#4A7177',
    700: '#395256',
    800: '#283739',
    900: '#1A2223',
  },
}

$base: #53A0AE;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F9FA;
$base-100: #E3F0F2;
$base-200: #C8E0E5;
$base-300: #A0C8CF;
$base-400: #7BAEB7;
$base-500: #5B919A;
$base-600: #4A7177;
$base-700: #395256;
$base-800: #283739;
$base-900: #1A2223;
$base-hover: #41808B;
$base-subtle: #CEE0E3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#53A0AE",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F9FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3F0F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8E0E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A0C8CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7BAEB7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5B919A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4A7177",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#395256",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283739",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2223",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #53A0AE

Color Lab

Pairs with #53A0AE

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export