Dark Teal Color / Colour Code #12211D
This page shows the hex color code for dark teal (#12211D). The colour is a cyan tone with 29% saturation and 10% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #12211D against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#12211D paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 134, 164, and 194 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 164, 284, and 44 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #12211D
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 164 and saturation at 29%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 164 to 209 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 164 with its complement at 344 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #12211D
Lightness variations at hue 164 and 29% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #12211D
Design Use Cases for #12211D
Muted Accent Color
With 29% saturation, #12211D has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Dark Mode Background
At just 10% lightness, #12211D works as a dark mode background or overlay color. Dark backgrounds reduce eye strain in low-light environments and make bright accent colors pop. Pair with light text (minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio) for readability.
Clarity & Technology
#12211D is in the cyan spectrum (hue 164). Cyan evokes technology, clarity, and innovation. It works well for tech product interfaces, data visualization accents, loading indicators, and futuristic design themes. Cyan provides a modern alternative to traditional blues.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #12211D (hue 164) to its complement at hue 344. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 194. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #12211d, #211216);
CSS Code for #12211D
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #12211D based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #12211D across image editing and color design tools.
About Dark Teal (#12211D)
#12211D is a cyan color (colour) with RGB channel values of 18 red, 33 green, and 29 blue. The green channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 164 degrees with 29% saturation and 10% lightness, placing it in the neutral-to-cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #12211D is 28/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 45% cyan, 0% magenta, 12% yellow, and 87% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #12211D against white is 16.65:1 and against black is 1.26:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #211216 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #12211D. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #122116 and #121D21, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #12211D
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #12211D?
- #12211D is Dark Teal, a cyan color (colour) with RGB(18, 33, 29), HSL(164, 29%, 10%), and CMYK(45%, 0%, 12%, 87%). Its perceived brightness is 28/255.
- Is #12211D accessible for text?
- Against white, #12211D has a contrast ratio of 16.65:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.26:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #12211D?
- The complementary colour is #211216 (hue 344). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #122116 and #121D21. The triadic palette adds #1D1221 and #211D12 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #12211D in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #12211d; or rgb(18, 33, 29); or hsl(164, 29%, 10%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 164 29% 10%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.