Color Code Converter

HEX, RGB, HSL, and the rest

Every color on screen can be written several ways. HEX (#RRGGBB) is a six-digit hexadecimal shorthand for red, green, and blue. RGB states those same three channels as numbers from 0 to 255. HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) and HSV describe color the way humans think about it, which makes them easier for picking shades. CMYK is for print. This tool converts between all of them live.

HEX to RGB, and why it is easy

A HEX code is just RGB in base 16. Each pair of hex digits is one channel: #FF8800 is FF (255) red, 88 (136) green, 00 (0) blue. Converting is a matter of reading each pair as a number from 0 to 255, which is exactly what the tool does, then it derives HSL and HSV from those values for you.

Why HSL is great for design

HSL separates the "what color" (hue) from "how vivid" (saturation) and "how light" (lightness). That makes it trivial to create a consistent palette: keep the hue fixed and vary lightness for tints and shades, or rotate the hue for related colors. Designers often reach for HSL when building themes because the relationships are intuitive.

WCAG contrast and accessibility

Color is not just aesthetics; text must be readable. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define a contrast ratio between text and background, and require at least 4.5:1 for normal text (3:1 for large text) to meet the AA standard. This converter includes a contrast checker so you can confirm a color pairing is legible before you ship it.