colors
Back to gallery
Coolcyan

Dusky Aqua Gloss

#5ab5b8
Notes

Dusky Aqua Gloss (#5AB5B8) is a true cyan with a cool character. It leans cool, sitting on the blue, green, and violet side of the wheel. Quiet and dependable, a fit for product UI and data visualization. Its HSL profile (182°, 40%, 54%) places it in the balanced band at a mid lightness. It works across type, buttons, and borders, saturated enough to feel deliberate but balanced enough to not fight the rest of the palette. 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
#5ab5b8
RGB
rgb(90, 181, 184)
HSL
hsl(182, 40%, 54%)
HWB
hwb(182 35% 28%)
OKLCH
oklch(71.9% 0.087 198.3)
HSV
hsv(182, 51%, 72%)
LAB
lab(68.52% -26.20 -9.86)
LCH
lch(68.52% 27.99 200.62)
CMYK
cmyk(51%, 2%, 0%, 28%)

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.

#5ab5b8
Original
#aaaeb8
Protanopia
#9ba2b9
Deuteranopia
#14bab6
Tritanopia
#a2a2a2
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
2.40:1
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
8.74:1

Related Colors

Canvas