Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind cyan-50: #ECFEFF
In Tailwind CSS v4, cyan-50 is defined as --color-cyan-50: oklch(98.4% 0.019 200.873), which is #ECFEFF in hex and rgb(236, 254, 255): an off-white with a cyan tint. In Tailwind v3, cyan-50 was #ECFEFF.
In OKLCH, cyan-50 has a lightness of 98.4%, chroma 0.019 and hue 200.9°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #ECFEFF represents it without loss on any screen.
In v3, cyan-50 was #ECFEFF. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.0 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
Tailwind cyan is a bright aqua blue; its light shades are popular for informational backgrounds.
Color codes for cyan-50
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-cyan-50 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(98.4% 0.019 200.873) |
| HEX | #ECFEFF |
| RGB | rgb(236, 254, 255) |
| HSL | hsl(183, 100%, 96%) |
| HWB | hwb(183 93% 0%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(7%, 0%, 0%, 0%) |
| Decimal | 15,531,775 |
| Tailwind v3 hex | #ECFEFF |
| Utility classes | bg-cyan-50, text-cyan-50, border-cyan-50 |
Tailwind cyan scale
Contrast and accessibility
On cyan-50, black text has a contrast ratio of 20.18:1 and passes AAA at any text size; white text reaches 1.04:1.
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios (success criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6: AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1). APCA Lc is the lightness contrast from the APCA-W3 0.0.98G model proposed for WCAG 3; a higher absolute value is more readable, and Lc 75 is its suggested minimum for body text.
| Pair | Ratio | AA | AA large | AAA | AAA large | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on cyan-50 | 20.18:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 103.3 |
| White text on cyan-50 | 1.04:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 0.0 |
| Cyan-50 text on white | 1.04:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 0.0 |
| Cyan-50 text on black | 20.18:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −104.8 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-cyan-50) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-cyan-50), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#edfeff - 15%
#effeff - 25%
#f1feff - 35%
#f3feff - 45%
#f5feff - 55%
#f6ffff - 65%
#f8ffff - 75%
#faffff - 85%
#fcffff - 95%
#feffff
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#e0f1f2 - 15%
#c9d8d9 - 25%
#b1bfbf - 35%
#99a5a6 - 45%
#828c8c - 55%
#6a7273 - 65%
#535959 - 75%
#3b4040 - 85%
#232626 - 95%
#0c0d0d
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, cyan-50's complementary color is #FFF5F4 (close to seashell), its analogous colors are #EEFEF8 and #EEFDFF, and its triadic partners are #FFF6FF and #FFF9EC. For text on top, black gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #fff5f4 |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #eefef8#eefdff |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #fff6ff#fff9ec |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #fff5fb#fff7ef |
Computed in OKLCH: the hue is rotated by 180° (complementary), ±30° (analogous), ±120° (triadic) and 180° ±30° (split-complementary) while lightness and chroma stay fixed. Results that fall outside sRGB are brought back with the CSS Color 4 gamut mapping algorithm. Because this uses OKLCH, the values differ from tools that rotate hue in HSL, but every color keeps the same perceived lightness.
Warm or cool?
Tailwind cyan-50 is close to neutral: its OKLCH chroma is only 0.019, so its temperature comes from context. The faint 183° hue gives it a slightly cool cast.
Nearest named and Tailwind colors
Distance is ΔE OK, the Euclidean distance in OKLab multiplied by 100. Values under about 2 are hard to tell apart side by side.
Code snippets
<div class="bg-cyan-50 text-black">...</div>
<p class="text-cyan-50 border-cyan-50">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-cyan-50);
background-color: oklch(98.4% 0.019 200.873);
border-color: #ecfeff;
outline-color: rgb(236 254 255);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let cyan50 = Color(red: 0.925, green: 0.996, blue: 1.000)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Cyan50 = Color(0xFFECFEFF)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const cyan50 = Color(0xFFECFEFF);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="cyan_50">#ECFEFF</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind cyan-50?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, cyan-50 is oklch(98.4% 0.019 200.873), which converts to #ECFEFF (rgb(236, 254, 255)) in sRGB. In Tailwind v3 the same name was #ECFEFF.
- What is the difference between cyan-50 in Tailwind v3 and v4?
- v3 used the hex #ECFEFF; v4 redefined the palette in OKLCH as oklch(98.4% 0.019 200.873). In v3, cyan-50 was #ECFEFF. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.0 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
- How do I use cyan-50 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-cyan-50). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on cyan-50?
- White text on cyan-50 has a contrast ratio of 1.04:1, which fails AA even for large text under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 20.18:1 and passes both AA and AAA. In APCA terms that is Lc 0.0 for white and Lc 103.3 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to cyan-50?
- The closest is azure (#F0FFFF) at ΔE OK 0.6, followed by mintcream and lightcyan.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.