Skip to main content

bg-emerald-500

Tailwind Emerald 500

#10B981·Emerald family·Shade 500

Color Values

HEX
#10B981
RGB
rgb(16, 185, 129)
HSL
hsl(160, 84%, 39%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.696 0.149 162)
CMYK
cmyk(91%, 0%, 30%, 27%)
CSS Variable
var(--color-emerald-500)
Tailwind Class
bg-emerald-500

Accessibility Score

60/100

Good

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

On White

2.54:1

Fail

On Black

8.28:1

AAA
Test in Contrast Checker →

Tailwind Usage — All Utilities

Background

bg-emerald-500

Text

text-emerald-500

Border

border-emerald-500

Ring

ring-emerald-500

Outline

outline-emerald-500

Fill

fill-emerald-500

Stroke

stroke-emerald-500

From (gradient)

from-emerald-500

Via (gradient)

via-emerald-500

To (gradient)

to-emerald-500

Placeholder

placeholder-emerald-500

Caret

caret-emerald-500

Accent

accent-emerald-500

Decoration

decoration-emerald-500

Shadow Color

shadow-emerald-500

Tailwind v3 Config (extend custom color)

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { 'emerald-500': '#10b981', }, }, }, };

CSS Equivalent

/* Hex */
background-color: #10B981;

/* RGB */
background-color: rgb(16, 185, 129);

/* HSL */
background-color: hsl(160, 84%, 39%);

/* OKLCH (CSS Color Level 4) */
background-color: oklch(0.696 0.149 162);

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

/* Gradient example */
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #ecfdf5 0%, #059669 100%);

OKLCH — Modern Color Space

Lightness (L)

0.696

70% perceived brightness

Chroma (C)

0.149

Color intensity / saturation

Hue (H)

162°

Angle on perceptual hue wheel

oklch(0.696 0.149 162)

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 Emerald 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 — #10B981

Emerald Shades

50

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

950

Similar Tailwind Colors

Perceptually close shades from other Tailwind color families.

Tailwind Teal 500

#14B8A6

Tailwind Green 500

#22C55E

Tailwind Green 600

#16A34A

Tailwind Teal 600

#0D9488

Tailwind Cyan 500

#06B6D4

Tailwind Teal 400

#2DD4BF

Nearest Named Color

Tailwind Emerald 500

Nearest Tailwind equivalent — #10B981

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 Emerald 500?
Tailwind Emerald 500 has the hex code #10B981. Its RGB value is rgb(16, 185, 129) and its HSL value is hsl(160, 84%, 39%).
What Tailwind utility classes use Emerald 500?
Use bg-emerald-500 for backgrounds, text-emerald-500 for text color, border-emerald-500 for borders, and ring-emerald-500 for focus rings. In Tailwind v4 the CSS variable var(--color-emerald-500) is available natively.
Is Tailwind Emerald 500 WCAG accessible?
Tailwind Emerald 500 achieves a 2.54:1 contrast ratio on white (Fail) and 8.28:1 on black (AAA). Its overall accessibility score is 60/100 (Good).
What is the OKLCH value for Tailwind Emerald 500?
Tailwind Emerald 500 in OKLCH is oklch(0.696 0.149 162) — lightness 0.696, chroma 0.149, hue 162°. OKLCH is a perceptually uniform space supported natively in modern CSS via the `color()` function.
What is Tailwind Emerald 500 used for?
At shade 500, Tailwind Emerald 500 is best described as "Primary brand color". Recommended uses: CTA buttons, Active navigation links, Primary brand accents.
← All Tailwind Colors