Nearest-color comparison
Dark Cyan #008B8B vs Teal #008080: RGB distance 15.6 and contrast 1.15:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Dark Cyan and Teal are very close, with an RGB distance of 15.6. Dark Cyan is lighter by 0.0333, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.15:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Dark Cyan and Teal across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
cyan color
Dark Cyan is #008B8B, a cool cyan with hue 180°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.2033. Beside Teal, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.07:1.
cyan color
Teal is #008080, a cool cyan with hue 180°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.17. Beside Dark Cyan, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 4.77:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Dark Cyan and Teal, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "dark-cyan",
"name": "Dark Cyan",
"hex": "#008B8B",
"rgb": [
0,
139,
139
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
27
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
45
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.2033,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.07,
"white": 4.15
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.07
},
"description": "Dark Cyan is #008B8B, a cool cyan color with balanced character. Compared with Teal, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-cyan/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-cyan.json"
},
{
"slug": "teal",
"name": "Teal",
"hex": "#008080",
"rgb": [
0,
128,
128
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
50
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced",
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.17,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.4,
"white": 4.77
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.77
},
"description": "Teal is #008080, a cool cyan color with balanced and vibrant character. Compared with Dark Cyan, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for healthcare, saas, and accent colors, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/teal/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/teal.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 15.6,
"contrastRatio": 1.15,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0333,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Dark Cyan",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Cyan"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.15,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Dark Cyan",
"background": "#008B8B",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.07
},
{
"color": "Teal",
"background": "#008080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.77
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Dark Cyan is better when the design needs balanced cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #008B8B.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Teal is better when the design needs balanced and vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #008080.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/dark-cyan-vs-teal.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-cyan.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/teal.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "dark-cyan-vs-teal",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Dark Cyan vs Teal",
"verdict": "Dark Cyan and Teal are very close colors. Dark Cyan is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.15:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Dark Cyan and Teal are different cyan colors with HEX values #008B8B and #008080. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 15.6, their contrast ratio is 1.15:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 15.6,
"contrastRatio": 1.15,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "dark-cyan",
"name": "Dark Cyan",
"hex": "#008B8B",
"rgb": [
0,
139,
139
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
27
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
45
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.2033,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.07,
"white": 4.15
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.07
},
"description": "Dark Cyan is #008B8B, a cool cyan color with balanced character. Compared with Teal, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-cyan/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-cyan.json"
},
{
"slug": "teal",
"name": "Teal",
"hex": "#008080",
"rgb": [
0,
128,
128
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
50
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced",
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.17,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.4,
"white": 4.77
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.77
},
"description": "Teal is #008080, a cool cyan color with balanced and vibrant character. Compared with Dark Cyan, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for healthcare, saas, and accent colors, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/teal/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/teal.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 15.6,
"contrastRatio": 1.15,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0333,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Dark Cyan",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Cyan"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.15,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Dark Cyan",
"background": "#008B8B",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.07
},
{
"color": "Teal",
"background": "#008080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.77
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Dark Cyan is better when the design needs balanced cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #008B8B.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Teal is better when the design needs balanced and vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #008080.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/dark-cyan-vs-teal.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-cyan.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/teal.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/dark-cyan-vs-teal/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/dark-cyan-vs-teal.json"
}