What color is #518D8B?

#518D8B is a desaturated cyan, closest to the named color Martian Cerulean. It belongs to the teal family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #518D8B?

The RGB value is 81, 141, 139: 81 red, 141 green and 139 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #518D8B?

The complementary color is #8D5153, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #518D8B?

Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 5.53:1 and white text 3.8:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#518D8B color

#518D8B rgb(81, 141, 139)

Shades of teal

The hex color #518D8B is a desaturated cyan.

In the RGB color model it is made of 31.8% red, 55.3% green and 54.5% blue (81, 141, 139).

Its hue angle is 178°, with 27% saturation and 44% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 43% cyan, 0% magenta, 1% yellow and 45% black.

The closest named color is Martian Cerulean (#57958B), a difference of 4.2 ΔE, a small difference.

Black text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 5.53:1).

#518D8B color codes

HEX	`#518D8B`
RGB	`rgb(81, 141, 139)`
RGB percent	`rgb(31.8%, 55.3%, 54.5%)`
HSL	`hsl(178, 27%, 44%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(178, 43%, 55%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(43%, 0%, 1%, 45%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(54.72, -19.97, -5.05)`
CIE LCH	`lch(54.72, 20.6, 194.19)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(17.577, 22.662, 27.869)`
Decimal	`5344651`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #518D8B, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #518D8B	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	5.53:1	Pass	Fail	Pass
Sample text	3.8:1	Fail	Fail	Pass

#518D8B as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	3.8:1	Fail	Fail	Pass
Sample text	5.53:1	Pass	Fail	Pass

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #518D8B looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #518d8b; }
.text { color: #518d8b; }
.border { border: 2px solid #518d8b; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(81 141 139 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #518d8b, #51718d); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #518D8B?: #518D8B is a desaturated cyan, closest to the named color Martian Cerulean. It belongs to the teal family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #518D8B?: The RGB value is 81, 141, 139: 81 red, 141 green and 139 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #518D8B?: The complementary color is #8D5153, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #518D8B?: Black text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 5.53:1 and white text 3.8:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.