What color is #53A1BB?

#53A1BB is a medium cyan. In RGB it is rgb(83, 161, 187), and in HSL hsl(195, 43%, 53%).

Is #53A1BB accessible as text?

On white, #53A1BB has a contrast ratio of 2.92:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 7.18:1 (passes). For text placed on #53A1BB, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #53A1BB?

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

What colors go well with #53A1BB?

#53A1BB pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #BB6D54. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #53A1BB below.

Is #53A1BB good for buttons?

#53A1BB works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #53A1BB — white text only reaches 2.92:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #53A1BB the same as CSS cadetblue?

No — #53A1BB is not the CSS named color cadetblue, but cadetblue (#5F9EA0) is the closest CSS named color.

#53A1BB Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #53A1BB

Not just a swatch — here's how #53A1BB works with other colors. Named schemes with #53A1BB in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #53A1BB Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B93A5 Anchor #2E3236

Carolina 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 #53A1BB Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

Carolina 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 #53A1BB Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F Ink #2A2723

Carolina 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 #53A1BB Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #81C6DE

Carolina 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 Carolina Blue.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #53A1BB Secondary #ADC6CF Support #969386 Ink #16140F

Carolina 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 Carolina Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #53A1BB 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 25/100

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 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 49/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 40/100

Low

Understated — leans refined without going austere.

Brand distinctiveness 33/100

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 43/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 77/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #53A1BB

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #53A1BB with

Medium Aquamarine Tanzanite Copper 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 6.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E0EBEE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #547FBB — 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 #53A1BB 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: #53A1BB;
  --color-base-rgb: 83 161 187;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(67.0% 0.086 222.2);
  --color-50: #F4F9FB;
  --color-100: #E1EFF4;
  --color-200: #C5DFE8;
  --color-300: #9CC5D3;
  --color-400: #75ABBD;
  --color-500: #558DA0;
  --color-600: #466E7C;
  --color-700: #365059;
  --color-800: #26363B;
  --color-900: #192224;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  carolina-blue: {
    50: '#F4F9FB',
    100: '#E1EFF4',
    200: '#C5DFE8',
    300: '#9CC5D3',
    400: '#75ABBD',
    500: '#558DA0',
    600: '#466E7C',
    700: '#365059',
    800: '#26363B',
    900: '#192224',
  },
}

$base: #53A1BB;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F4F9FB;
$base-100: #E1EFF4;
$base-200: #C5DFE8;
$base-300: #9CC5D3;
$base-400: #75ABBD;
$base-500: #558DA0;
$base-600: #466E7C;
$base-700: #365059;
$base-800: #26363B;
$base-900: #192224;
$base-hover: #3E839B;
$base-subtle: #CFE1E7;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#53A1BB",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F9FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1EFF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C5DFE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9CC5D3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#75ABBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#558DA0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#466E7C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#365059",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26363B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#192224",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #53A1BB

Color Lab

Pairs with #53A1BB

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export