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Sure Estuary

#15ad8b
Notes

Sure Estuary (#15AD8B) is a true 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 (167°, 78%, 38%) 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
#15ad8b
RGB
rgb(21, 173, 139)
HSL
hsl(167, 78%, 38%)
HWB
hwb(167 8% 32%)
OKLCH
oklch(66.7% 0.126 171.7)
HSV
hsv(167, 88%, 68%)
LAB
lab(63.27% -44.72 7.21)
LCH
lch(63.27% 45.29 170.84)
CMYK
cmyk(88%, 0%, 20%, 32%)

Etymology

Sure
adjective

Old French seur, certain — used as a color modifier since the medieval period for hues that read as confident and stable. Sure red, sure blue: moderate saturation combined with optical commitment. Sits at the crisp-bucket center alongside steady and true.

Estuary
noun

The mixing zone where freshwater rivers meet saltwater seas — the Chesapeake, the Thames, the Hudson — environments of unique salinity and biodiversity. Estuary color refers to mid-depth estuary water at high tide: a soft, slightly cool deep blue-green with the optical complexity of brackish water.

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.

#15ad8b
Original
#a7a189
Protanopia
#96948d
Deuteranopia
#00afa3
Tritanopia
#8a8a8a
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
2.84:1
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
7.38:1

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