Web Safe Color Chart

Web Safe Color Chart

This is a web-safe color chart and converter. Netscape’s 216 colors use six steps per channel: 00, 33, 66, 99, CC, FF — 6³ = 216. Paste any HEX, rgb() or hsl(); each channel rounds to the nearest step of 51. #3B82F6 becomes #3399FF. #000000, #FFFFFF and the greys #333333, #666666, #999999, #CCCCCC are in the set. Modern screens do not need this palette; it remains a reference for GIF work and 1990s specs. HEX to RGB nearby has no snap. Color Converter has HSL without the 216 grid.

How to use

1. Paste a HEX or pick a color. The right swatch is the snapped web-safe HEX. Cards show RGB and HSL of that safe color.
2. Chips copy HEX, rgb() and hsl(). Copy result copies the safe HEX.
3. Show example snaps #3B82F6 to #3399FF. Other chips: #FF5733 → #FF6633, #808080 → #999999, #DC2626 → #CC3333.
4. The chart lists all 216. Sort by RGB cube (bands #00xxxx … #FFxxxx), hue or lightness. Filter HEX (type 99 to keep #3399FF). Click a cell or a table row to copy HEX and select it.
5. Copy all HEX writes the visible list, one per line. Eyedropper reads a pixel on the screen when the browser supports it.

The 6 × 6 × 6 cube

Each channel is 0, 51, 102, 153, 204 or 255. Rounding uses the nearest of those six (51 × round(n / 51)). The table columns are HEX, R, G, B, H, S, L — the same fields as a ColorHexa-style listing. Cube order is R slowest, then G, then B. Hue order puts greys (S 0%) first, then 30° bands. Lightness bands are 20% wide. Filter is a substring of the HEX without requiring #.

Where to use it

• Matching a GIF palette or an old HTML color chart.
• Teaching why “web-safe” existed on 256-color displays.
• Snapping a brand HEX to the 216 for a retro mockup — not for modern UI.

Frequently asked questions

Related tools

Channel values: HEX to RGB. HSL and contrast: Color Converter. Printable swatches: Color Palette.