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bg-cyan-500

Tailwind Cyan 500

#06B6D4·Cyan family·Shade 500

Color Values

HEX
#06B6D4
RGB
rgb(6, 182, 212)
HSL
hsl(189, 94%, 43%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.715 0.126 215)
CMYK
cmyk(97%, 14%, 0%, 17%)
CSS Variable
var(--color-cyan-500)
Tailwind Class
bg-cyan-500

Accessibility Score

60/100

Good

Based on WCAG 2.1 contrast ratios against white and black backgrounds.

On White

2.43:1

Fail

On Black

8.65:1

AAA
Test in Contrast Checker →

Tailwind Usage — All Utilities

Background

bg-cyan-500

Text

text-cyan-500

Border

border-cyan-500

Ring

ring-cyan-500

Outline

outline-cyan-500

Fill

fill-cyan-500

Stroke

stroke-cyan-500

From (gradient)

from-cyan-500

Via (gradient)

via-cyan-500

To (gradient)

to-cyan-500

Placeholder

placeholder-cyan-500

Caret

caret-cyan-500

Accent

accent-cyan-500

Decoration

decoration-cyan-500

Shadow Color

shadow-cyan-500

Tailwind v3 Config (extend custom color)

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { 'cyan-500': '#06b6d4', }, }, }, };

CSS Equivalent

/* Hex */
background-color: #06B6D4;

/* RGB */
background-color: rgb(6, 182, 212);

/* HSL */
background-color: hsl(189, 94%, 43%);

/* OKLCH (CSS Color Level 4) */
background-color: oklch(0.715 0.126 215);

/* CSS Custom Property (Tailwind v4) */
background-color: var(--color-cyan-500);

/* Gradient example */
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ecfeff 0%, #0891b2 100%);

OKLCH — Modern Color Space

Lightness (L)

0.715

72% perceived brightness

Chroma (C)

0.126

Color intensity / saturation

Hue (H)

215°

Angle on perceptual hue wheel

oklch(0.715 0.126 215)

OKLCH is a perceptually uniform color space in CSS Color Level 4. Unlike HSL, equal steps in L produce equal perceived lightness changes — making it ideal for building accessible, harmonious design system scales.

Design Recommendations

Primary brand color

Shade 500 of the Cyan palette

Recommended Uses

  • ✓CTA buttons
  • ✓Active navigation links
  • ✓Primary brand accents
  • ✓Interactive element fills
  • ✓Highlighted badges

Avoid

✗Text on dark/black backgrounds — check contrast before use.

Preview

On White

Aa Bb Cc

On Black

Aa Bb Cc

As Background

Aa Bb Cc — #06B6D4

Cyan Shades

50

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

950

Similar Tailwind Colors

Perceptually close shades from other Tailwind color families.

Tailwind Sky 500

#0EA5E9

Tailwind Teal 500

#14B8A6

Tailwind Emerald 500

#10B981

Tailwind Sky 400

#38BDF8

Tailwind Teal 400

#2DD4BF

Tailwind Teal 600

#0D9488

Nearest Named Color

Tailwind Cyan 500

Nearest Tailwind equivalent — #06B6D4

Design & Accessibility Guides

Guide

Building an Accessible Color System

Design Systems · 10 min read

Guide

WCAG Contrast Ratios Explained

WCAG · 8 min read

Guide

WCAG AA vs AAA: Which Standard Should You Target?

WCAG · 7 min read

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the hex code for Tailwind Cyan 500?
Tailwind Cyan 500 has the hex code #06B6D4. Its RGB value is rgb(6, 182, 212) and its HSL value is hsl(189, 94%, 43%).
What Tailwind utility classes use Cyan 500?
Use bg-cyan-500 for backgrounds, text-cyan-500 for text color, border-cyan-500 for borders, and ring-cyan-500 for focus rings. In Tailwind v4 the CSS variable var(--color-cyan-500) is available natively.
Is Tailwind Cyan 500 WCAG accessible?
Tailwind Cyan 500 achieves a 2.43:1 contrast ratio on white (Fail) and 8.65:1 on black (AAA). Its overall accessibility score is 60/100 (Good).
What is the OKLCH value for Tailwind Cyan 500?
Tailwind Cyan 500 in OKLCH is oklch(0.715 0.126 215) — lightness 0.715, chroma 0.126, hue 215°. OKLCH is a perceptually uniform space supported natively in modern CSS via the `color()` function.
What is Tailwind Cyan 500 used for?
At shade 500, Tailwind Cyan 500 is best described as "Primary brand color". Recommended uses: CTA buttons, Active navigation links, Primary brand accents.
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