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Energetic Tourmaline

#03e8c5
Notes

Energetic Tourmaline (#03E8C5) is a true teal with a neon character. It sits at the high-saturation edge of its family. Use it sparingly, as signage, accent, or highlight against darker surfaces. Its HSL profile (171°, 97%, 46%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid 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 red. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#03e8c5
RGB
rgb(3, 232, 197)
HSL
hsl(171, 97%, 46%)
HWB
hwb(171 1% 9%)
OKLCH
oklch(83.2% 0.155 176.4)
P3
color(display-p3 0.4155 0.8963 0.7778)
HSV
hsv(171, 99%, 91%)
LAB
lab(82.78% -54.36 3.95)
LCH
lch(82.78% 54.50 175.85)
CMYK
cmyk(99%, 0%, 15%, 9%)

Etymology

Energetic
adjective

Greek energētikós, active — derived from energeia (activity). As a color modifier, energetic implies a saturated-and-kinetic-and-active quality where the hue carries visual vibration and movement-suggestion that engages the eye dynamically. Sits at the bright-and-active end of the grid, parallel to dynamic and spirited in usage.

Tourmaline
noun

A boron silicate mineral that crystallizes in nearly every color depending on its trace elements — green tourmaline (verdelite) is the chromium and vanadium-bearing variety, mined principally in Brazil, Madagascar, and Maine. The color refers to a faceted green tourmaline: a saturated, slightly muted blue-green with the high refractive index of a quality cut gem. Cooler than emerald, warmer than aquamarine.

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

Click any swatch to explore

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.

#03e8c5
Original
#dfd8c3
Protanopia
#c6c7c8
Deuteranopia
#00ebde
Tritanopia
#b5b5b5
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).
Failon White
1.57:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
13.35:1

Wide gamut

Display P3 representation

The CSS Color 4 wide-gamut form of this color. Both swatches render the same color on every display — the P3 form only diverges from sRGB when a designer pushes channels outside sRGB's reach.

sRGB hex
sRGB hex
##03E8C5
Display P3
Display P3
color(display-p3 0.4155 0.8963 0.7778)
P3 has subtle headroomOKLCH chroma 0.155

Moderately saturated colors gain a small bump in P3 — the difference is usually visible side-by-side on wide-gamut hardware but won't change the character of the color.

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