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Sonorous Smithsonite

#038e4e
Notes

Sonorous Smithsonite (#038E4E) is a deep teal with a jewel character. It carries the deep, saturated richness of a gemstone. Authoritative and slightly formal, it works well for type and heavy UI elements. Its HSL profile (152°, 96%, 28%) places it in the highly saturated band at a dark lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary magenta. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#038e4e
RGB
rgb(3, 142, 78)
HSL
hsl(152, 96%, 28%)
HWB
hwb(152 1% 44%)
OKLCH
oklch(56.8% 0.142 154.1)
HSV
hsv(152, 98%, 56%)
LAB
lab(51.74% -47.70 25.18)
LCH
lch(51.74% 53.93 152.17)
CMYK
cmyk(98%, 0%, 45%, 44%)

Etymology

Sonorous
adjective

Latin sonōrus, resounding — derived from sonus (sound). As a color modifier, sonorous implies a saturated-and-richly-vibrating quality where the hue carries the deep-resonance visual register of a cathedral-organ-pipe low-note. Sits at the bold-and-resonant end of the grid, parallel to resonant and deep in usage.

Smithsonite
noun

A zinc carbonate mineral — named for English chemist James Smithson (founder of the Smithsonian Institution). The blue-green variety is mined principally in New Mexico's Magdalena Mountains. The color refers to a polished blue-green smithsonite cabochon: a soft, slightly cool deep blue-green with the satin finish of botryoidal zinc-carbonate mineral.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

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Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#038e4e
Original
#8e8149
Protanopia
#807752
Deuteranopia
#008c7e
Tritanopia
#6c6c6c
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AA Largeon White
4.21:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAon Black
4.98:1

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