🎨 HTML Color Codes

HTML color codes are standardized ways to specify colors in web design and development. They come in several formats: named colors (like "red" or "blue"), hexadecimal codes (like #FF0000), RGB values (like rgb(255, 0, 0)), and HSL values (like hsl(0, 100%, 50%)). These codes tell web browsers exactly which color to display on your webpage, ensuring consistent colors across different devices and browsers.

To use hex color codes in HTML, add them to the style attribute of any HTML element. For example: <p style="color: #FF6347;">Text</p> changes text color, or <div style="background-color: #4CAF50;">Content</div> changes background color. Hex codes always start with # followed by 6 characters (0-9 and A-F) representing Red, Green, and Blue values. You can also use hex codes in CSS stylesheets for better organization.

Hex codes use hexadecimal notation (#FF0000), RGB uses decimal values for Red, Green, Blue (rgb(255, 0, 0)), and HSL uses Hue, Saturation, Lightness (hsl(0, 100%, 50%)). All three can represent the same color but serve different purposes: Hex is compact and widely used, RGB is intuitive for programmers, and HSL is best for creating color variations since you can easily adjust brightness or saturation. RGBA and HSLA variants add an alpha channel for transparency control.

There are exactly 140 standard HTML color names recognized by all modern web browsers. These include common colors like "red," "blue," and "green," as well as more specific names like "cornflowerblue," "mediumaquamarine," and "rebeccapurple." While these named colors are convenient, hex codes and RGB values provide access to over 16.7 million possible colors for web design.

You can find hex codes using several methods: (1) Use a color picker tool like the one on this page - click any color to see and copy its hex code, (2) Use browser developer tools to inspect elements and view their color values, (3) Use design software like Photoshop or Figma which display hex codes in color pickers, (4) Take a screenshot and use online tools to extract colors from images, or (5) Use our Color Converter tool above to convert between different color formats.

A color picker is an interactive tool that lets you visually select colors and instantly get their corresponding codes (hex, RGB, HSL). It typically displays a color spectrum or palette where you can click to choose colors. Our color picker above includes 800+ pre-defined colors from standard HTML names, Material Design, and Flat UI palettes. Color pickers are essential for web designers and developers who need to maintain consistent color schemes and quickly find color codes without memorizing them.

Use a contrast checker tool like the WCAG Contrast Checker on this page. Enter your foreground (text) color and background color, and it will calculate the contrast ratio and tell you if it meets WCAG standards. WCAG AA requires a 4.5:1 ratio for normal text and 3:1 for large text. WCAG AAA (stricter) requires 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. Good contrast ensures your website is readable for people with visual impairments and improves overall user experience.

Material Design colors are Google's standardized color palette used in Android and modern web applications. The palette includes 19 color families (Red, Blue, Green, etc.), each with 10-14 shades ranging from 50 (lightest) to 900 (darkest), plus accent colors (A100, A200, A400, A700). This gives developers over 500 carefully chosen colors that work harmoniously together. Material Design colors are popular because they're professionally designed, accessible, and create consistent, modern-looking interfaces.

Use our Color Converter tool above to instantly convert hex to RGB. Manually, split the hex code into three pairs: #RRGGBB. Convert each pair from hexadecimal to decimal. For example, #FF6347 becomes: FF=255, 63=99, 47=71, so rgb(255, 99, 71). The converter on this page also handles RGB to Hex, HSL conversions, and RGBA with transparency, making it easy to work with any color format your project requires.

Yes, you can use any of the 140 standard HTML color names in CSS, like "red," "blue," or "cornflowerblue." However, hex codes are recommended for professional projects because: (1) They provide access to millions of colors vs. only 140 named colors, (2) They're more precise for brand color matching, (3) They're universally understood across design tools, and (4) They're shorter to write than some long color names. Named colors are great for quick prototyping or simple projects.

For optimal readability, aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal-sized text (14-18px) and 3:1 for large text (18px+ bold or 24px+ regular). These are WCAG AA standards. For even better accessibility (WCAG AAA), use 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. Higher contrast ratios improve readability for everyone, especially users with low vision, color blindness, or when viewing screens in bright sunlight. Use our Contrast Checker tool above to test your color combinations.

Use our Shade Generator tool above to automatically create 10 variations of any color from lighter to darker shades. The tool adjusts the lightness value in HSL color space to create harmonious variations. This is perfect for creating hover states, shadows, or color schemes. Alternatively, in CSS you can use color functions like lighten() and darken() in preprocessors like Sass, or manually adjust the L value in HSL format to create custom shade variations.

No, hex color codes are not case sensitive. #FF0000, #ff0000, and #Ff0000 all represent the same red color. However, it's best practice to use either all uppercase (#FF0000) or all lowercase (#ff0000) consistently throughout your project for code readability and maintainability. Most developers prefer lowercase hex codes as they're easier to type, while design tools often output uppercase codes.

Hex codes (#FF6347) are the most popular for static colors due to their compact format and universal support. RGB/RGBA (rgb(255, 99, 71)) is best when you need transparency or dynamic color manipulation with JavaScript. HSL/HSLA (hsl(9, 100%, 64%)) is ideal for creating color variations programmatically since you can easily adjust hue, saturation, or lightness. Modern CSS also supports the newer oklch() and oklab() formats for more perceptually uniform colors. Choose based on your specific needs and browser support requirements.

On this page, simply click the "Copy" button next to any color to instantly copy its hex code to your clipboard. You'll see a confirmation notification. This works for all 800+ colors including standard HTML colors, Material Design palettes, and Flat UI colors. Our color picker also lets you select colors visually and copy them with one click. For colors on other websites, use browser developer tools (F12), inspect the element, and click the color swatch to copy the color value.