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HEX to CMYK converter

Paste a HEX code and get cyan, magenta, yellow and key percentages, with the three-step formula worked through for your exact color.

  • CMYK
  • Rounded
  • RGB
Convert a list of HEX codes 
 
 
 
 
Three steps for your color
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
From a six-digit code to four inks


A HEX code can't be turned into CMYK in one jump. The tool goes through RGB on the way, so there are three stages. They are written out next to the swatch for the code you enter.


Stage 1: read the code as RGB. Split it into three pairs and convert each from base 16. #0F766E becomes 0F = 15, 76 = 118, 6E = 110. Then divide each by 255: 0.0588, 0.4627, 0.4314.


Stage 2: find the black. K = 1 − the largest value, so K = 1 − 0.4627 = 0.5373, or 53.7%.


Stage 3: work out the colored inks. For each channel, ink = (1 − value − K) ÷ (1 − K).


    

  • C = (1 − 0.0588 − 0.5373) ÷ 0.4627 = 0.8729
    • 

  • M = (1 − 0.4627 − 0.5373) ÷ 0.4627 = 0
    • 

  • Y = (1 − 0.4314 − 0.5373) ÷ 0.4627 = 0.0678
    • 



So #0F766E is C87.3 M0 Y6.8 K53.7. Rounded for a spec sheet, that's C87 M0 Y7 K54.


A palette, converted


Here is the HexaCalc brand palette run through the same formula:























































NameHEXCMYK
Ink#1C1B18041489
Paper#FAF8F30132
Hex vermilion#D9481C0678715
Saffron#F2B33D026755
Pigment teal#0F766E870754


The bulk box under the converter does this for any list. Paste one code per line and copy the results straight into a style guide.


Reading the result


A few patterns help you sanity-check any conversion:


    

  • Warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) get zero cyan, because red is their brightest channel.
    • 

  • Cool colors (blues, teals) get zero yellow or magenta, depending on which channel is highest.
    • 

  • Near-whites like #FAF8F3 come out as tiny percentages. On press, values under about 3% may not print at all, because the dots are too small to hold. An off-white background often just disappears into the paper.
    • 

  • Dark neutrals like #1C1B18 are almost all K. The small M and Y figures are what give the brand ink its warm tint.
    • 



Caveats before you send a file to print


This is the standard device-independent formula. A printer converting with an ICC profile (FOGRA, GRACoL, SWOP and so on) will produce different numbers, usually spreading the color across all four inks and using less K in mid tones. The result can look close, but the numbers won't match a profile conversion.


Bright screen colors are also a trap. Pure #00FF00 converts to C100 M0 Y100 K0, but no press can reproduce that green. It prints as a much flatter, yellower green. If a brand's main color is very saturated, ask the printer about a spot ink.


Finally, what you see in the swatch is the screen color, not a print preview. Nothing on a monitor can show you exactly how ink will sit on a particular paper.


Shorthand and alpha


Three-digit codes are expanded first: #F60 is read as #FF6600, which gives C0 M60 Y100 K0. Eight-digit codes with alpha are accepted, but the alpha is ignored. CMYK has no transparency; on paper, "50% opacity" just means a lighter tint of the ink.



If you already have the RGB numbers, start at RGB to CMYK, which also shows the total ink and a black-handling note. To go from a print spec to a screen color, use CMYK to RGB. To see the HEX-to-RGB step on its own, with alpha, open HEX to RGB.


FAQ


What is the CMYK for #000000?


C0 M0 Y0 K100. Many printers prefer a rich black for large solid areas; see the RGB to CMYK guide for the common recipe.


What is #FFFFFF in CMYK?


All zeros. White in print is simply the paper, with no ink at all.


Why do two online converters give different CMYK values for the same HEX?


Either one of them uses an ICC profile (Photoshop does, for example), or they round at different stages. Formula-based tools that round only at the end will agree with each other to within 1%.