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Hex to Pantone Converter

Finds the nearest of 95 Pantone names for a hex color code, using a built-in table that is an unofficial approximation and not Pantone's own data.

Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to a server. Sources: W3C CSS Color 4, Pantone Updated

3 or 6 hex digits, with or without #. The result updates as you type.

Nearest entry in this page's unofficial table

PANTONE 307 C

Table value #006BA6, rgb(0, 107, 166). Color difference ΔE 7.6.

Your color: #336699, rgb(51, 102, 153)
Table value: #006BA6

In CIELAB (L, a, b): your color 41.52, −4.57, −33.49. Table value 42.54, −8.96, −39.66.

Not an official conversion. This is the nearest of 95 entries in an approximation table of unknown origin. It is not Pantone's own data, and no entry has been checked against it. For print work, choose the color from a current physical Pantone guide.

Next nearest entries

  1. PANTONE 301 C, #005587, ΔE 8.1
  2. PANTONE 2955 C, #003366, ΔE 21.8
  3. PANTONE 7545 C, #5A6B79, ΔE 23.6
  4. PANTONE 285 C, #0072CE, ΔE 23.8

How the hex to Pantone match is made

There is no formula that turns a hex code into a Pantone color. Pantone colors are inks that Pantone defines and sells guides for, and its color data is proprietary. What this page does is look for the closest value in a small table that is built into it:

  1. Your hex code is read as red, green and blue values from 0 to 255.
  2. That color, and each of the 95 table values, is converted from sRGB to CIELAB. CIELAB describes a color by lightness (L) and two color axes (a and b), and was designed so that distance in it follows what the eye sees more closely than distance between RGB numbers does.
  3. The difference between your color and each table value is the straight-line distance between their L, a and b values. This measure is called ΔE76.
  4. The entry with the smallest difference is shown, followed by the next four.

ΔE = √((L1 − L2)² + (a1 − a2)² + (b1 − b2)²)

A difference of 0 means your color has the same sRGB value as the table entry. It does not mean the ink will match. For scale, the difference between black and white is 100.

Hex to Pantone example: #336699

Enter #336699, a mid blue.

  • Red, green, blue: 51, 102, 153.
  • In CIELAB: L 41.52, a −4.57, b −33.49.
  • The table lists PANTONE 307 C as #006BA6, which is L 42.54, a −8.96, b −39.66.
  • ΔE = √(1.02² + 4.39² + 6.17²) = 7.6.

No other entry is closer. The next nearest is PANTONE 301 C, listed as #005587, at ΔE 8.1.

To see the red, green and blue values of a hex code first, use the hex to RGB converter. If you start from RGB values, the RGB to Pantone converter uses the same table and gives the same answer.

The five nearest entries in the hex to Pantone page's unofficial table for #336699: PANTONE 307 C at a color difference of 7.6, 301 C at 8.1, 2955 C at 21.8, 7545 C at 23.6 and 285 C at 23.8.
Two entries are close; after them the difference jumps above 20, which is a clearly different color.

What is in the unofficial Pantone table

The table has 95 entries with 88 different color values. Almost all of the names end in C, Pantone's suffix for a color printed on coated paper. Its origin is not documented and it has not been checked against Pantone's data.

Twelve entries share a value with another entry: for example, four different names are all listed as #FF5000. When your color is nearest to a shared value, the page shows the name that comes first in the table and lists the others directly below it with the same ΔE.

Pantone's Formula Guide lists 2,614 spot colors. With 95 entries the table can only point you to a region of the guide, and often the nearest entry is not near at all. Check the ΔE before you rely on a name.

Why print needs a physical Pantone guide

A screen shows color with light. A press shows it with ink on paper. The same hex code looks different from one screen to the next, and the same ink looks different on coated and uncoated paper.

If the color is going to be printed on packaging, signage or merchandise, look up the suggested name in a current Pantone guide, compare the swatch with your design under good light, and agree the final choice with your printer.

More color and number converters are under everyday tools.

Pantone is a trademark of Pantone LLC. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Pantone.

Hex to Pantone Converter: FAQ

Is there an exact Pantone color for my hex code?
No. A hex code describes a color on a screen. A Pantone spot color is an ink, defined by Pantone and judged from printed swatches. Any hex to Pantone result is a nearest match, and the match on this page comes from an unofficial table, so treat it as a place to start looking.
How many Pantone colors does this page know?
95 names with 88 different color values. Pantone's Formula Guide lists 2,614 spot colors, so the table covers fewer than 4 in every 100. The color that is truly closest to yours may not be in the table at all.
How is the nearest color chosen?
Your color and every table value are converted from sRGB to CIELAB. The page then takes the straight-line distance between the two sets of L, a and b values, a measure called ΔE76, and shows the entry with the smallest distance. If two entries are equally close, the one that comes first in the table is shown.
Why would the printed color look different from my screen?
A screen makes color by emitting red, green and blue light. Print makes color with ink that reflects the light in the room. Paper, lighting and the screen's own settings all change what you see, so a screen can only suggest how an ink will look.
Where do the values in the table come from?
We do not know. The table was inherited with this tool and its origin is not documented. It has not been checked against Pantone's data, and twelve entries share a value with another entry, which shows that it is not exact.

Sources

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