colors
Back to gallery

Balanced Surf

#48e2f3
Notes

Balanced Surf (#48E2F3) is a true cyan 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 (186°, 88%, 62%) 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
#48e2f3
RGB
rgb(72, 226, 243)
HSL
hsl(186, 88%, 62%)
HWB
hwb(186 28% 5%)
OKLCH
oklch(84.1% 0.127 205.8)
HSV
hsv(186, 70%, 95%)
LAB
lab(83.04% -34.22 -19.93)
LCH
lch(83.04% 39.59 210.21)
CMYK
cmyk(70%, 7%, 0%, 5%)

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.

#48e2f3
Original
#cfd9f4
Protanopia
#b7c7f3
Deuteranopia
#00ece7
Tritanopia
#c2c2c2
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
1.56:1
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
13.45:1

Related Colors

Canvas