Exploring the Color #5BA1A1

#5BA1A1 sits at 180° on the color wheel, placing it in the cyan family of the cool half of the spectrum. With 28% saturation and 49% lightness, it reads as a softly muted, balanced tone — a balanced mid-energy presence that sits comfortably alongside other UI tones. Its RGB mix of 91, 161, 161 produces a 7.06:1 contrast ratio against black, which clears WCAG AAA for body text in that pairing.

In RGB space #5BA1A1 is a clear variant of CSS steel blue — about 42 units away from #4682B4. Designers reach for cyan hues at this saturation when the brief calls for restraint and atmosphere, and at this lightness when they want a present, comfortable mid-canvas voice. On screen the cool cast tends to pair best with warm neutrals in the 25°-45° range to add life.

Darkening Shades

Lightening Shades