Base color
#167d8d
Complementary Color Generator
2 colors
+180 degrees
#9d5b4f
Export palette
Palette output
A pair with maximum hue separation
A complementary pair sits 180 degrees apart on the hue circle, the furthest two hues can be from one another. That separation is what makes the combination read as deliberate contrast: an accent placed against its complement stands out more than one placed against a neighbouring hue.
Your base color is kept exactly as entered. Only the second color is derived, by rotating the hue a half turn while holding perceptual lightness and chroma steady, so the pair carries similar visual weight instead of one member appearing washed out.
An OKLCH wheel, not a pigment wheel
The rotation happens in OKLCH, a perceptual color space, rather than on the red-yellow-blue wheel taught in paint mixing. The complement of blue here is a warm yellow-orange rather than the orange a pigment wheel predicts, and the two colors hold their apparent lightness better.
Results are mapped back into sRGB, so a rotation that would land outside the displayable range is brought to the nearest color a screen can show.
Using a complementary pair without overwhelming a layout
Two fully saturated complements competing across a large area tend to vibrate along their shared edge. A common approach is to let one color dominate and reserve the complement for small, deliberate accents such as a primary action.
A harmonious pair is not automatically a readable one. Check any combination you intend to use for text against its actual background before shipping it.
Frequently asked questions
Pigment wheels pair red with green and blue with orange. This tool rotates hue in OKLCH, a perceptual space built for screens, so the complement of blue is a warm yellow-orange.