What color is #85D5CA?

#85D5CA is a light, soft teal. In RGB it is rgb(133, 213, 202), and in HSL hsl(172, 49%, 68%).

Is #85D5CA accessible as text?

On white, #85D5CA has a contrast ratio of 1.70:1 (fails WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 12.37:1 (passes). For text placed on #85D5CA, use black for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #85D5CA?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is teal-300 (#46ECD5).

What colors go well with #85D5CA?

#85D5CA pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #D58590. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #85D5CA below.

Is #85D5CA good for buttons?

#85D5CA works well for buttons and highlights, but use black text on #85D5CA — white text only reaches 1.70:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #85D5CA the same as CSS mediumturquoise?

No — #85D5CA is not the CSS named color mediumturquoise, but mediumturquoise (#48D1CC) is the closest CSS named color.

#85D5CA Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #85D5CA

Not just a swatch — here's how #85D5CA works with other colors. Named schemes with #85D5CA in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #85D5CA Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7994A4 Anchor #2E3236

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #85D5CA Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F2E7 Secondary #B5B19F Ink #2A2723

Medium Turquoise 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #85D5CA Accent #A7C4BC Surface #E0DABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1C3549

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #85D5CA Secondary #DDF8F3 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Medium Turquoise 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 Medium Turquoise carrying the quiet middle.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #85D5CA Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #B3FBF1

Medium Turquoise is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Medium Turquoise.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #85D5CA 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 33/100

Cool

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

Softness 70/100

High

Soft and easy on the eye — gentle backdrops, calm surfaces.

Depth 18/100

Very low

Airy and open — recedes, leaves the composition light.

Naturalness 26/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 25/100

Low

Playful and accessible rather than exclusive.

Brand distinctiveness 31/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 20/100

Low

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

Surface fit 58/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 81/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #85D5CA

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #85D5CA with

Celadon Iceberg Puce 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 10.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E9F4F3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #85C5D5 — 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 #85D5CA at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #85D5CA;
  --color-base-rgb: 133 213 202;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(81.8% 0.080 184.7);
  --color-50: #F3FBFA;
  --color-100: #E0F5F2;
  --color-200: #C2EAE5;
  --color-300: #98D7CF;
  --color-400: #70C2B7;
  --color-500: #4FA69A;
  --color-600: #427F77;
  --color-700: #345B56;
  --color-800: #253C39;
  --color-900: #182523;
  --color-on-base: #141310;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  medium-turquoise: {
    50: '#F3FBFA',
    100: '#E0F5F2',
    200: '#C2EAE5',
    300: '#98D7CF',
    400: '#70C2B7',
    500: '#4FA69A',
    600: '#427F77',
    700: '#345B56',
    800: '#253C39',
    900: '#182523',
  },
}

$base: #85D5CA;
$base-ink: #141310;
$base-50: #F3FBFA;
$base-100: #E0F5F2;
$base-200: #C2EAE5;
$base-300: #98D7CF;
$base-400: #70C2B7;
$base-500: #4FA69A;
$base-600: #427F77;
$base-700: #345B56;
$base-800: #253C39;
$base-900: #182523;
$base-hover: #52C4B5;
$base-subtle: #DDF0ED;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#85D5CA",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#141310",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3FBFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E0F5F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C2EAE5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#98D7CF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#70C2B7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4FA69A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#427F77",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#345B56",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#253C39",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#182523",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}