Hex to Pantone Converter

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How to Use Hex to Pantone Converter

  1. Input Your Hex Colors
    • Input your hex colour codes into the text area. #FF5733, FF5733 or abbreviated #f53.
    • Type in various colours, one per line. It will process all of them in one batch. For your convenience, click on the "Example" button to load a pre-set list of common colours and see the tool in action immediately.
  2. Change Your Matching Preferences
    • Use the first slider to pick how many Pantone colours you want to see for each hex colour, from 3 to 20.
    • Use the second slider to pick a minimum similarity threshold. A greater percentage (e.g., 85%) only reveals the closest matches, whereas a lower option (e.g., 60%) shows a wider, more creative range.
    • Tick the boxes to include or omit Pantone colour names, and to rank the results by similarity (most similar first).
  3. Run and Export Your Results
    • Push the "Convert" button to crunch your colours. The output will be a side-by-side comparison of your hex input and the closest Pantone colours.
    • Quickly copy all match data to your clipboard for copying into design projects using the "Copy Results" button.
    • Click "Download Results" to generate and save a full text file with all of the hex inputs, Pantone matches, similarity scores and names for your records.

Conversion Process

Color Matching Magic

It's not easy to translate a digital Hex colour into a tangible Pantone hue. Hex codes are used to describe colours for screens based on the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) additive colour model. However, Pantone is a standardised colour system for print, based on precise ink combinations. To bridge this gap, our converter employs a clever algorithm. It examines the characteristics of your input colour and matches it to the closest in the whole Pantone Matching System collection, so you may get the closest visual matches to your digital vision in print.

  1. The utility initially normalises your hex input, expanding shorthand codes and checking the format.
  2. It translates the RGB values from the hex code into the CIELAB colour space, which is intended to be perceptually uniform, meaning distances in this space are proportional to how we perceive colour differences.
  3. It does the same conversion for each colour in its Pantone database.
  4. Uses the advanced CIEDE2000 formula (the industry standard for accuracy) to compute the Delta E (ΔE) colour difference between your input colour and each Pantone colour.
  5. Finally, it filters and sorts the Pantone colours depending upon your similarity threshold and match count and shows you the closest physical matching possible.

Major Applications and Use Cases

If you work across both digital and physical mediums, this tool is a must-have. It helps in maintaining the brand consistency, material selection and optimising the design to the production process. It cuts out the guesswork and expensive printing errors by giving a dependable link between the colour you see on-screen and the ink you use in the real world.

  • Brand Identity & Marketing: Ensure your digital brand colours (those you use on your website and app) are exactly duplicated on business cards, brochures, packaging and promotional goods.
  • Product Design & Manufacturing: Get the closest Pantone colour to a digital prototype or inspiration image for precise colour specification in fabrics, plastics, paints, and cosmetics.
  • Graphic Design & Print Production: Convert digital design elements to Pantone spot colours to prepare files for professional printing. This can lead to more brilliant and uniform colours than CMYK process mixes.
  • Web & UI/UX designing: Convert a website or app's hex palette to the Pantone system to create hardcopy style guides or branded swatch books.

Hex vs. Pantone: A Colour Systems Comparison

Feature Hex Colour Code Pantone Matching System
Primary Use Case Digital displays: websites, apps, software, and video. Professional printing, physical products, brand materials.
Colour Model Additive (RGB) Colours are made by combining light. Subtractive (Spot Inks) Precisely mixed pigment colours.
Standardization Not intrinsically standardised; the way it appears depends on how the screen is calibrated. Globally standardised; identical colour on any material/press.
Physical reproduction Must be converted to CMYK or spot colours, which tend to change. Exact, consistent colour without conversion.
Need the reverse tool? Convert Pantone to Hex →