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bg-teal-500

Tailwind Teal 500

#14B8A6·Teal family·Shade 500

Color Values

HEX
#14B8A6
RGB
rgb(20, 184, 166)
HSL
hsl(173, 80%, 40%)
OKLCH
oklch(0.704 0.123 182)
CMYK
cmyk(89%, 0%, 10%, 28%)
CSS Variable
var(--color-teal-500)
Tailwind Class
bg-teal-500

Accessibility Score

60/100

Good

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

On White

2.49:1

Fail

On Black

8.44:1

AAA
Test in Contrast Checker →

Tailwind Usage — All Utilities

Background

bg-teal-500

Text

text-teal-500

Border

border-teal-500

Ring

ring-teal-500

Outline

outline-teal-500

Fill

fill-teal-500

Stroke

stroke-teal-500

From (gradient)

from-teal-500

Via (gradient)

via-teal-500

To (gradient)

to-teal-500

Placeholder

placeholder-teal-500

Caret

caret-teal-500

Accent

accent-teal-500

Decoration

decoration-teal-500

Shadow Color

shadow-teal-500

Tailwind v3 Config (extend custom color)

// tailwind.config.js module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { 'teal-500': '#14b8a6', }, }, }, };

CSS Equivalent

/* Hex */
background-color: #14B8A6;

/* RGB */
background-color: rgb(20, 184, 166);

/* HSL */
background-color: hsl(173, 80%, 40%);

/* OKLCH (CSS Color Level 4) */
background-color: oklch(0.704 0.123 182);

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

/* Gradient example */
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #f0fdfa 0%, #0d9488 100%);

OKLCH — Modern Color Space

Lightness (L)

0.704

70% perceived brightness

Chroma (C)

0.123

Color intensity / saturation

Hue (H)

182°

Angle on perceptual hue wheel

oklch(0.704 0.123 182)

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 Teal 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 — #14B8A6

Teal Shades

50

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

950

Similar Tailwind Colors

Perceptually close shades from other Tailwind color families.

Tailwind Emerald 500

#10B981

Tailwind Cyan 500

#06B6D4

Tailwind Sky 500

#0EA5E9

Tailwind Green 500

#22C55E

Tailwind Emerald 400

#34D399

Tailwind Cyan 600

#0891B2

Nearest Named Color

Tailwind Teal 500

Nearest Tailwind equivalent — #14B8A6

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 Teal 500?
Tailwind Teal 500 has the hex code #14B8A6. Its RGB value is rgb(20, 184, 166) and its HSL value is hsl(173, 80%, 40%).
What Tailwind utility classes use Teal 500?
Use bg-teal-500 for backgrounds, text-teal-500 for text color, border-teal-500 for borders, and ring-teal-500 for focus rings. In Tailwind v4 the CSS variable var(--color-teal-500) is available natively.
Is Tailwind Teal 500 WCAG accessible?
Tailwind Teal 500 achieves a 2.49:1 contrast ratio on white (Fail) and 8.44:1 on black (AAA). Its overall accessibility score is 60/100 (Good).
What is the OKLCH value for Tailwind Teal 500?
Tailwind Teal 500 in OKLCH is oklch(0.704 0.123 182) — lightness 0.704, chroma 0.123, hue 182°. OKLCH is a perceptually uniform space supported natively in modern CSS via the `color()` function.
What is Tailwind Teal 500 used for?
At shade 500, Tailwind Teal 500 is best described as "Primary brand color". Recommended uses: CTA buttons, Active navigation links, Primary brand accents.
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