Color #38BCAE Color / Colour Code #38BCAE
This page shows the hex color code for color #38bcae (#38BCAE). The colour is a cyan tone with 54% saturation and 48% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #38BCAE against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#38BCAE paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 144, 174, and 204 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 174, 294, and 54 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #38BCAE
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 174 and saturation at 54%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 174 to 219 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 174 with its complement at 354 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 #38BCAE
Lightness variations at hue 174 and 54% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #38BCAE
Design Use Cases for #38BCAE
Balanced UI Color
At 54% saturation, #38BCAE strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Primary Interface Color
At 48% lightness, #38BCAE is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Clarity & Technology
#38BCAE is in the cyan spectrum (hue 174). 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 #38BCAE (hue 174) to its complement at hue 354. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 204. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #38bcae, #bc3846);
CSS Code for #38BCAE
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #38BCAE based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #38BCAE across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #38BCAE (#38BCAE)
#38BCAE is a cyan color (colour) with RGB channel values of 56 red, 188 green, and 174 blue. The green channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.4:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 174 degrees with 54% saturation and 48% lightness, placing it in the neutral-to-cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #38BCAE is 147/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This is a medium-brightness color that can work with either dark or light text depending on font weight and size. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 70% cyan, 0% magenta, 7% yellow, and 26% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #38BCAE against white is 2.34:1 and against black is 8.97:1. This does not meet AA requirements on white. Use it on dark backgrounds where it achieves 8.97:1, or use it exclusively for decorative purposes.
The complementary colour #BC3846 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #38BCAE. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #38BC6D and #3888BC, 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 #38BCAE
- 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 #38BCAE?
- #38BCAE is Color #38BCAE, a cyan color (colour) with RGB(56, 188, 174), HSL(174, 54%, 48%), and CMYK(70%, 0%, 7%, 26%). Its perceived brightness is 147/255.
- Is #38BCAE accessible for text?
- Against white, #38BCAE has a contrast ratio of 2.34:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 8.97:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #38BCAE?
- The complementary colour is #BC3846 (hue 354). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #38BC6D and #3888BC. The triadic palette adds #AF38BC and #BCAF38 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #38BCAE in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #38bcae; or rgb(56, 188, 174); or hsl(174, 54%, 48%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 174 54% 48%; 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.