cyan

#00FFFF

CSS color

Overview

Formed by combining full green and full blue light, cyan is an additive secondary at rgb(0, 255, 255), hex #00FFFF. It sits at 180 degrees on the hue wheel — directly opposite red, its additive complement — at maximum saturation and brightness. Cyan is also known in CSS by the synonym aqua, and it counts among the sixteen basic HTML colors. In subtractive color it takes on the role of a primary ink, one of the three that, with magenta and yellow, reproduce a broad gamut in printing. On screen its brilliant blue-green reads as cool and clean, and mixing it with red light returns the display to white.

Cyan (#00FFFF) is the fully saturated primary cyan of the RGB and CMYK color models—equal parts green and blue light at maximum intensity. It is one of the three process colors in printing (CMY) and a cornerstone of digital color theory. In branding, it reads as clean, modern, and technology-forward, popular in fintech, health tech, and futuristic design.

On this page

Color Values

HEX

#00FFFF

RGB

0, 255, 255

HSL

180.0, 100.0%, 50.0%

HSV

180.0, 100.0%, 100.0%

CMYK

100.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%

OKLCH

0.9054 0.1546 194.8

Properties

Cool Light Nearest: cyan

Color Psychology

True cyan sits at the boundary of blue and green in the visible spectrum, projecting futurism, precision, and digital innovation. It is a primary color in CMYK printing and RGB displays, giving it a distinctly technological identity. Cyan suggests cutting-edge thinking and clear communication.

Design Usage

Medium cyan is a staple in tech branding, cloud computing services, and developer tools. It works well for interactive elements, link hover states, and data visualization highlights. Because cyan is highly saturated, use it as an accent rather than a dominant color to avoid visual strain.

Color Harmonies

Complementary

#00FFFF

#FF0000

Analogous

#00FF80

#0080FF

#00FFFF

Triadic

#00FFFF

#FF00FF

#FFFF00

Split Complementary

#00FFFF

#FF0080

#FF8000

Tetradic

#00FFFF

#8000FF

#FF0000

#80FF00

Color Blindness Simulation

Original

#00FFFF

Protanopia

#6E71FF

Deuteranopia

#604CFF

Tritanopia

#0DFFFF

Achromatopsia

#C9C9C9

CSS Usage

background-color: #00FFFF;
color: #00FFFF;
border-color: #00FFFF;
Nearest Tailwind: Teal 300 #5EEAD4

Tailwind Shades

50
#F1FEFE
100
#DEFCFC
200
#B8FFFF
300
#85FFFF
400
#42FFFF
500
#00FFFF
600
#00CCCC
700
#00A3A3
800
#008080
900
#055C5C
950
#033A3A

Contrast Checker

Text on white

1.25:1

AA Fail AAA Fail

Text on black

16.75:1

AA Pass AAA Pass

Compare With

#00FFFF
#FF0000
#00FFFF
#FFFFFF
#000000
#00FFFF

Brands Using This Color

TIDAL

TIDAL

Aqua

Part of These Collections

Korean Ogansaek (오간색)

벽 Byeok (Light Blue)

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the RGB, HSL, and CMYK values of #00FFFF?

RGB(0, 255, 255) · HSL(180.0, 100.0%, 50.0%) · CMYK(100.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%)

Does #00FFFF meet WCAG contrast on white?

1.25:1 — WCAG AA Fail, AAA Fail for normal text.

What text color is readable on #00FFFF?

Use 000000 text on a #00FFFF background; contrast on black is 16.75:1.