Color comparison
Teal #008080 vs Turquoise #40E0D0: RGB distance 140.4 and contrast 2.91:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Teal and Turquoise are far apart, with an RGB distance of 140.4. Turquoise is lighter by 0.4196, and Teal is more saturated by 28 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 2.91:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Teal and Turquoise across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
cyan color
Teal is #008080, a cool cyan with hue 180°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.17. Beside Turquoise, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 4.77:1.
cyan color
Turquoise is #40E0D0, a cool cyan with hue 174°, saturation 72% and luminance 0.5896. Beside Teal, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 12.79:1.
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 Teal and Turquoise, 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": "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 Turquoise, it is darker and more saturated. 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"
},
{
"slug": "turquoise",
"name": "Turquoise",
"hex": "#40E0D0",
"rgb": [
64,
224,
208
],
"hsl": [
174,
72,
56
],
"cmyk": [
71,
0,
7,
12
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"bright",
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.5896,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.79,
"white": 1.64
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
},
"description": "Turquoise is #40E0D0, a cool cyan color with bright and vibrant character. Compared with Teal, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for travel, summer palettes, and playful interfaces, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/turquoise/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/turquoise.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 140.4,
"contrastRatio": 2.91,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 6,
"saturation": 28,
"lightness": 31
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.4196,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Turquoise",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Teal"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 2.91,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Teal",
"background": "#008080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.77
},
{
"color": "Turquoise",
"background": "#40E0D0",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Teal is better when the design needs balanced and vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #008080.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Turquoise is better when the design needs bright and vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #40E0D0.",
"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/teal-vs-turquoise.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/teal.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/turquoise.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "teal-vs-turquoise",
"type": "curated",
"name": "Teal vs Turquoise",
"verdict": "Teal and Turquoise are strongly different colors. Turquoise is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 2.91:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Teal and Turquoise are different cyan colors with HEX values #008080 and #40E0D0. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 140.4, their contrast ratio is 2.91:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 140.4,
"contrastRatio": 2.91,
"colors": [
{
"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 Turquoise, it is darker and more saturated. 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"
},
{
"slug": "turquoise",
"name": "Turquoise",
"hex": "#40E0D0",
"rgb": [
64,
224,
208
],
"hsl": [
174,
72,
56
],
"cmyk": [
71,
0,
7,
12
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"bright",
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.5896,
"contrast": {
"black": 12.79,
"white": 1.64
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
},
"description": "Turquoise is #40E0D0, a cool cyan color with bright and vibrant character. Compared with Teal, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for travel, summer palettes, and playful interfaces, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/turquoise/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/turquoise.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 140.4,
"contrastRatio": 2.91,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 6,
"saturation": 28,
"lightness": 31
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.4196,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Turquoise",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Teal"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 2.91,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Teal",
"background": "#008080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.77
},
{
"color": "Turquoise",
"background": "#40E0D0",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 12.79
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Teal is better when the design needs balanced and vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #008080.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Turquoise is better when the design needs bright and vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #40E0D0.",
"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/teal-vs-turquoise.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/teal.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/turquoise.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/teal-vs-turquoise/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/teal-vs-turquoise.json"
}