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#2eb5db

a balanced, vivid cyan · cool · closest name: Deep Sky Blue

RGB
46, 181, 219
HSL
193°, 71%, 52%
CMYK
79, 17, 0, 14
Luminance
0.3874

At a glance

Every number on this page in one read: what #2eb5db is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.

Hex
#2eb5db
Hue
193°
cyan
Saturation
71%
vivid
Lightness
52%
balanced
Brightness
86%
HSV value
Perceived
62%
weighted brightness
Luminance
0.3874
WCAG relative
Temperature
Cool
93/100 cool
Color family
Cyan
Tone
Vivid
Best ink
Black
8.75:1
Closest name
Deep Sky Blue
ΔE2000 6.7
Where it sits
Hue193° of 360°
Saturation71%
Lightness52%
Temperature
Warm ← → Cool93% cool

Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.

Every format

HEX#2eb5db
RGBrgb(46, 181, 219)
HSLhsl(193, 71%, 52%)
CMYKcmyk(79%, 17%, 0%, 14%)
LABlab(68.6 -22.4 -29.1)
LCHlch(68.6 36.8 232.4)
OKLCHoklch(0.720 0.122 221.9)
Decimal3061211
Display P3color(display-p3 0.180 0.710 0.859)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #2eb5db;
background-color: #2eb5db;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#2eb5db] bg-[#2eb5db]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #2eb5db;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.180, green: 0.710, blue: 0.859)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#2eb5db")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFF2EB5DB)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(219, 181, 46)

Best text color

Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.

Readable at a glance#000000 on #2eb5db · 8.75:1
Use #000000AAA at every size.
Aa
White text · 2.40:1
AA fail · AA large fail · AAA fail
Aa
Black text · 8.75:1 · recommended
AA pass · AA large pass · AAA pass
Reading the other direction: #2eb5db as text scores 2.40:1 on white and 8.75:1 on black.

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

Aa
#2eb5db on white: 2.40:1
AA ✗ fail · AA-large · AAA
Aa
#2eb5db on black: 8.75:1
AA ✓ pass · AA-large · AAA
true color
protanopia · #9FB0DD
deuteranopia · #88A0DB
tritanopia · #00C1C1

Color scale — 50 to 950

A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #2eb5db is pinned to step 500; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.

#F3FAFC
#E7F4F8
#C9E9F2
#9FDDEF
#6FCCE6
#2eb5db
#24ABD1
#1E8EAE
#18728B
#155365
#0D343F
Base = 500Lightest = 50 · #F3FAFCDarkest = 950 · #0D343F
:root {
  --brand-50: #F3FAFC;
  --brand-100: #E7F4F8;
  --brand-200: #C9E9F2;
  --brand-300: #9FDDEF;
  --brand-400: #6FCCE6;
  --brand-500: #2eb5db;
  --brand-600: #24ABD1;
  --brand-700: #1E8EAE;
  --brand-800: #18728B;
  --brand-900: #155365;
  --brand-950: #0D343F;
  --brand: #2eb5db;
  --brand-ink: #000000;
}

Colors that work with #2eb5db

Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.

Text on it#000000
Black wins here
Surface#F4F9FA
Tinted page background
Border#C0E3ED
Hairlines and dividers
Muted text#4B899B
Captions on the surface
Accent#E0292F
Second voice, not a rival
Dark variant#13596D
Hover, pressed, headers
Light variant#E9F7FB
Selected rows, tints
Dark surface#142124
Dark-mode background
Light mode
Everything in its place

Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.

Primary actionSecondaryBadge
Dark mode
Same hue, inverted

Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.

Primary actionSecondaryAccent

How to use #2eb5db

Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.

Works well for
  • Text and icons on dark surfaces
  • Primary buttons and calls to action
  • Focus rings, active and selected states
  • Brand accents, badges and data highlights
Use with care
  • Text of any size on white — fails WCAG AA
  • Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
  • Thin strokes and 1px borders — they disappear on light UI
  • Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate

Similar colors

One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.

Color relationships

The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.

Complementary#DB542E
Analogous left#2EDBAB
Analogous right#2E5FDB
Split-complement 1#DB2E5F
Split-complement 2#DBAB2E
Triadic 1#DB2EB5
Triadic 2#B5DB2E
Tetradic#AB2EDB

RGB percentages

Red18.0%
Green71.0%
Blue85.9%

CMYK percentages

Cyan79.0%
Magenta17.4%
Yellow0.0%
Key (black)14.1%

Color previews

#2eb5db text on a black background

contrast 8.75:1

Card sample

#2eb5db text on a white background

contrast 2.40:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #2eb5db;
Background color
Panel with #2eb5db background
background-color: #2eb5db;
Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #2eb5db;
Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(46, 181, 219, 0.45);
Div box shadow
Elevated card
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(46, 181, 219, 0.45);
Border & gradient
Gradient panel
border: 3px solid #2eb5db;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #2eb5db, #2E42DB);

Monochromatic scale

Palettes built from #2eb5db

Shades — darker

Tints — lighter

Color harmonies

Nearest named colors

Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.

#2eb5db in the real world

Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.

Industries
TechnologyTravelHealthcareMedia
Common UI roles
ButtonsLinksFocus statesCharts
Print note

Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.

#2eb5db, answered

What color is #2eb5db?

#2eb5db is a balanced vivid cyan, closest to Deep Sky Blue (ΔE2000 6.7). It sits at 193° on the hue wheel with 71% saturation and 52% lightness, which reads as cool.

What is the RGB value of #2eb5db?

rgb(46, 181, 219) — 46 red, 181 green and 219 blue out of 255, or 18% / 71% / 85.9% by channel.

Is #2eb5db a light or a dark color?

It is a mid-tone. Relative luminance is 0.3874 and perceived brightness is 62%, so black text on it reaches 8.75:1.

Should I use black or white text on #2eb5db?

Black. It scores 8.75:1 against #2eb5db, versus 2.40:1 for white — AAA at any size.

What is the complementary color of #2eb5db?

#DB542E sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #DB2E5F and #DBAB2E, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.

What colors go well with #2eb5db?

For interface work: #F4F9FA as the surface, #C0E3ED for borders, #4B899B for secondary text, #E0292F as an accent and #13596D for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #2EDBAB and #2E5FDB stays calm, while #DB542E is the loudest partner.

What is #2eb5db in CMYK for printing?

cmyk(79%, 17%, 0%, 14%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.

Is #2eb5db warm or cool?

Cool — it scores 93 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #2EDBC2; nudged cooler, #2C99DD.

Work with #2eb5db in the Color Lab