Teal Color Palette
Teal is hex #008080, rgb(0, 128, 128). Teal is a dark cyan, an even mix of blue and green darkened toward black. It is named after the colored band around the eye of the common teal duck.
By Mohamed Farhan · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Teal color codes
Reading the teal color codes
The hex code #008080 is three pairs of base-16 numbers for red, green and blue. 00 is 0, 80 is 128 and 80 is 128, each on a scale from 0 to 255. That is why the same color is written rgb(0, 128, 128) in CSS. The green channel is the strongest here, which is what gives teal its cyan character.
HSL describes the same color the way people think about it. A hue of 180 degrees places teal in the cyan part of the color wheel. Saturation of 100% makes it vivid, and lightness of 25% makes it a dark color. HSL is the easiest format to adjust by hand: keep the hue, then raise or lower lightness to create tints and shades that stay in the same family.
For print, the approximate CMYK mix is 100% cyan, 0% magenta, 0% yellow and 50% black. Screen and print colors never match perfectly, because monitors emit light while ink absorbs it, so always proof a printed sample before committing to teal for packaging or stationery. See MDN's guide to CSS color values for every format browsers accept.
Teal shades and tints
A full 50 to 950 scale built around #008080, so you can use teal for backgrounds, borders, buttons and text without leaving the family. Click any shade to copy it.
// tailwind.config.js
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
"teal": {
50: "#DAECEC",
100: "#BEDFDF",
200: "#A3D1D1",
300: "#88C4C4",
400: "#6DB6B6",
500: "#52A9A9",
600: "#369B9B",
700: "#1B8E8E",
800: "#008080",
900: "#006262",
950: "#004545",
},
},
},
}:root {
--teal-50: #DAECEC;
--teal-100: #BEDFDF;
--teal-200: #A3D1D1;
--teal-300: #88C4C4;
--teal-400: #6DB6B6;
--teal-500: #52A9A9;
--teal-600: #369B9B;
--teal-700: #1B8E8E;
--teal-800: #008080;
--teal-900: #006262;
--teal-950: #004545;
}A shade-by-shade guide to teal
The 50 to 950 scale above follows the same structure as Tailwind's built-in palettes, so each step has a natural job. The lightest steps, 50 (#DAECEC) and 100 (#BEDFDF), are page and card backgrounds: they carry the teal mood without competing with content. Steps 200 (#A3D1D1) and 300 (#88C4C4) suit borders, dividers, hover states and selected rows.
The middle of the scale, 400 to 600, is where teal is most recognizable, so use it for brand moments, illustrations and primary buttons. White text reaches the 4.5:1 body-text contrast minimum from step 800 upward, so use step 800 or darker when a button label needs to be white. Near-black text stays readable on steps 50 to 700.
The darkest steps, 800 (#008080) through 950 (#004545), make headings, body text and dark-mode surfaces that stay clearly related to teal. Using step 900 or 950 for text instead of pure black is one of the simplest ways to make an interface feel designed rather than default.
Colors that go with teal
How the teal color combinations work
Complementary. Directly across the color wheel from teal is #800000, which sits closest to maroon among common named colors. Complementary pairs create the strongest contrast of hue, so use the second color sparingly, for a single call to action or highlight, rather than in equal amounts.
Analogous. #008040 and #004080 sit 30 degrees either side of teal. Analogous palettes feel calm and cohesive because the colors share undertones; they are ideal for illustrations, gradients and backgrounds where you want harmony more than contrast.
Triadic and split complementary. The triadic set (#800080 and #808000) is evenly spaced around the wheel and feels playful; the second color is closest to indigo. The split complementary set (#800040 and #804000) keeps much of the complementary contrast but is easier to balance, which makes it a good choice for data visualization and multi-category tags.
Monochromatic. The monochromatic set runs from #1AFFFF to #002929. A single-hue palette is the safest way to build a calm, premium interface: rely on lightness for hierarchy, then add one neutral and one accent if you need emphasis.
Teal compared with similar colors
skobeloff (#007474) is about as light and similarly saturated, and shares almost the same hue. Choose skobeloff if you need more weight and contrast; choose teal if you want its specific balance of brightness and color.
cerulean (#007BA7) is lighter (33% vs 25% lightness) and similarly saturated, and leans further around the wheel toward cyan. Choose cerulean if you want a softer, airier version; choose teal if you want its specific balance of brightness and color.
jade (#00A86B) is lighter (33% vs 25% lightness) and similarly saturated, and leans back the wheel toward teal-green. Choose jade if you want a softer, airier version; choose teal if you want its specific balance of brightness and color.
Teal in a real interface
Swatches only tell half the story. Here teal carries the primary action, with tints from its own scale for the surface and panels.
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Using teal in UI: buttons, text, backgrounds and dark mode
- Buttons. Teal carries white labels at 4.77:1, which passes AA for normal text.
- Text. Teal works as text on white backgrounds.
- Backgrounds. Use steps 50 and 100 for large areas and keep the base color for smaller surfaces. Big blocks of a vivid dark color draw attention, so give them a reason, like a hero section or pricing highlight.
- Dark mode. Steps 900 and 950 make a dark surface tinted with teal. On dark backgrounds the base color often needs a lighter step (300 or 400) to keep enough contrast for icons and borders, as required by WCAG non-text contrast.
- States. Shift one step darker for hover and two steps darker for pressed. Keep focus rings in a contrasting color so keyboard users can always see them.
Contrast and accessibility
AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text. AAA needs 7:1.
Color contrast is measured as a ratio from 1:1 (no contrast) to 21:1 (black on white). Teal scores 4.77:1 against white (AA) and 4.4:1 against black (AA large). The WCAG 2.1 contrast guideline asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, which is why the shade guide above recommends specific steps for text and labels.
Contrast is only half of accessibility. Around 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of color vision deficiency, so never use teal alone to signal meaning such as success, error or selection. Pair it with an icon, a label or a change in weight.
What teal means
Teal and cyan sit between blue's trust and green's freshness. They read as clear, clinical, modern and a little optimistic.
Teal is named after the Eurasian teal, a duck with a band of this color around its eyes. It became a popular fashion and interior color in the late 20th century and is now one of the most widely used colors in healthcare and fintech, because it feels both trustworthy and fresh.
Teal makes a strong primary for health, fintech and productivity tools. Check contrast carefully: mid teals often fail with white text at small sizes.
Where teal works best
- Healthcare and clinics
- Fintech and banking
- Productivity software
- Coastal brands
How to style teal
Teal works with coral, peach, mustard, cream and charcoal. Its complementary coral is one of the most reliable accent pairs in UI design. The base teal supports white text for buttons and headers. For backgrounds, use very light teal tints, and keep teal distinct from your success green if you use both.
Build a UI with teal
Inspo AI generates a full React + Tailwind screen using #008080 as the brand color, grounded in real shipped designs.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Teal · History and definition of teal.
- WCAG 2.1: Contrast (Minimum) · The W3C rule behind the 4.5:1 and 3:1 thresholds used on this page.
- WCAG 2.1: Use of Color · Why color should never be the only way information is shown.
- MDN: CSS color values · Reference for hex, rgb() and hsl() syntax.
- Tailwind CSS: Customizing colors · How to add a custom color scale to your theme.
Similar colors
Questions people ask
What is the hex code for teal?
The hex code for teal used on this page is #008080. In RGB that is rgb(0, 128, 128), and in HSL it is hsl(180, 100%, 25%).
What colors go well with teal?
Teal pairs well with #004D4D, #E0F2F1, #F4A259 (the Lagoon palette above). Its complementary color is #800000, and analogous colors are #008040 and #004080.
Is teal a warm or cool color?
Teal is a cool color. Its hue sits at 180 degrees on the color wheel with 100% saturation.
Can I use teal for text?
Teal has a contrast ratio of 4.77:1 against white and 4.4:1 against black. Body text needs at least 4.5:1, so it works as text on white backgrounds.
What does teal mean?
Teal and cyan sit between blue's trust and green's freshness. They read as clear, clinical, modern and a little optimistic. Teal in particular is used for healthcare and clinics and fintech and banking.
How do I use teal in Tailwind CSS?
Use an arbitrary value like bg-[#008080] for a one-off, or add the 50-950 scale from this page to theme.extend.colors in tailwind.config.js and use classes like bg-teal-500 and text-teal-900.
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