HEX to RGB Converter

How HEX to RGB conversion works

A HEX color code is nothing more than three numbers written in hexadecimal (base-16). The six digits after the # split into three pairs — RR, GG, BB — and each pair is the amount of red, green and blue light on a scale from 00 (0) to ff (255). Converting to RGB just means reading each pair as a decimal number.

Take #3564c4: the red pair 35 is 3×16 + 5 = 53, the green pair 64 is 6×16 + 4 = 100, and the blue pair c4 is 12×16 + 4 = 196. The result is rgb(53, 100, 196). The conversion is exact in both directions — HEX and RGB are two spellings of the same 8-bit value, so nothing is rounded and nothing is lost.

Shorthand, case and the missing “#”

Three-digit codes like #f60 are shorthand: each digit is doubled, so #f60 expands to #ff6600 — rgb(255, 102, 0). Case never matters (#3564C4 and #3564c4 are identical), and this converter also accepts codes pasted without the leading #, because that’s how they often arrive from chat messages and spreadsheets.

Transparency: 8-digit HEX and rgba()

Modern CSS allows a fourth pair for alpha: #3564c480 is the same blue at 50% opacity, because 80 is 128 and 128 ÷ 255 ≈ 0.5. In RGB notation that becomes rgba(53, 100, 196, 0.5). Watch out when copying values between platforms: CSS and most web tools put alpha last (#RRGGBBAA), while Android historically puts it first (#AARRGGBB) — pasting one into the other silently swaps your red channel with transparency.

Common conversions

Where you actually need RGB instead of HEX

• Canvas and WebGL code — pixel APIs hand you raw 0–255 channel numbers, not HEX strings.
• Alpha in older CSS — before 8-digit HEX had full support, rgba() was the only way to write transparency.
• Native development — iOS UIColor and many game engines want channels as floats from 0 to 1: divide each RGB value by 255 (53 ÷ 255 ≈ 0.208).
• Design handoffs — print and brand guidelines often list RGB next to CMYK and Pantone-style references.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Five- or seven-digit codes are invalid — valid lengths are 3, 4, 6 or 8 digits after the #.
• Digits must be 0–9 and a–f. A code like #12g45z fails because g and z aren’t hexadecimal.
• RGB channels cap at 255. If a formula gives you 256 or −1, something upstream clipped or overflowed.
• Don’t confuse rgb(53, 100, 196) with percentages — rgb(20%, 39%, 77%) is also valid CSS but a different notation of the same idea.

Everything on this page runs locally in your browser — colors you type are never sent to a server. Need the reverse direction? Use the RGB to HEX converter, or the universal color converter for Lab, LCH and OKLCH output.