HEX to RGB Converter

What's the Difference Between HEX and RGB?

They are not two colors, they are two different ways of writing down this one exact same color.

Hex is a 6 digit code written in hexadecimal (base-16) notation: #RRGGBB, where each digit is a hex digit from 0 to F. It's a common format in HTML, CSS, and most design programs since it is short and simple to copy and paste.

RGB is composed of red, green and blue, all of which are a number between 0 and 255, such as rgb(255, 87, 51). It is the format that most programming languages, canvas APIs and photo editing tools expect when you need to work with the colors channel by channel.

Both formats are equally "accurate". They do not change the value of the red, green and blue light, just like HEX does not wrap the values in pairs of hexadecimals, but rather in plain decimal format.

Convert HEX to RGB – the Formula.

HEX codes can be divided into three sets of two-digit numbers – one for each color channel:

#RRGGBB
 ↑↑ ↑↑ ↑↑
 R   G   B

To convert manually:

1. Divide the hex code into three groups of two hex digits. For #3E6EF7, that's 3E, 6E, and F7.
2. Change each pair to decimal. Each pair is from 00 (0 decimal) to FF (255 decimal).
3. Read the three results: Red, Green, Blue.

Worked Example

Converting #3E6EF7:

Result: rgb(62, 110, 247)

A quick example of using pure colors.

• #FF0000 = rgb(255, 0, 0) — pure red
• #00FF00 = rgb(0, 255, 0) — pure green
• #0000FF = rgb(0, 0, 255) — pure blue
• #FFFFFF = rgb(255, 255, 255) — white
• #000000 = rgb(0, 0, 0) — black
• #808080 = rgb(128, 128, 128) — mid gray

Every pair of hex has a maximum of FF, which is equal to 255 in decimal — that's why 255 is the maximum value for each RGB channel.

Shorthand HEX Codes

Occasionally you will see a three character hex code such as #3EF. Shorthand: #3EF becomes #33EEFF before being converted. #3EF translates to rgb(51, 238, 255) and not from the three characters themselves.

What About HEX with transparency (HEX8 / RGBA)?

An 8 character hex code such as #3E6EF7CC contains a fourth pair (alpha — opacity) which works the same (hex pair to decimal), but is represented as a fraction of 0 to 1 instead of 0 to 255. CC in hex is 204 in decimal, and 204 ÷ 255 ≈ 0.8, so #3E6EF7CC becomes rgba(62, 110, 247, 0.8).

You might need to convert HEX to RGB because:

• Tools for designing in CSS only, that present only that format. Some plugins/older codebases require RGB, not hex.
• Programmatic color manipulation. RGB channels are used directly by many APIs for Canvas, image-processing libraries, and many programming languages, because it is simpler to blend, lighten or darken a color by modifying three numbers.
• Matching colors between software programs. The photo-editing, video and some design applications come with RGB sliders instead of a hex input field.
• Adding transparency. When creating RGBA values for semi-transparent overlays, it is better to begin with the RGB value(s) instead of the hex code.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

HEX and RGB are two ways of indicating the same color data so there is no gain or loss of color information in making the conversion from one to the other. Whether it's a brand color that only accepts RGB values to be pasted into code or an RGBA value to be used for a transparent overlay, it only takes seconds to understand the pattern: split, convert each pair, read off red, green, and blue.