Color · Converter
Hex to CMYK converter.
Type a hex code and get cyan, magenta, yellow and black percentages. Edit the CMYK side and the hex follows. Plain screen arithmetic, not a print profile.
Convert both ways
All formats
Enter a color to see every format.
How HEX to CMYK works
The steps
- Hex to RGB. Read each pair as base 16: #FF5733 is 255, 87, 51. Shorthand like #F53 is doubled to #FF5533 first.
- Scale to 0-1. Divide by 255: 1.000, 0.341, 0.200.
- Black. K = 1 − max(R, G, B) = 0.
- The inks. C = (1 − R − K) ÷ (1 − K) = 0, M = 0.659, Y = 0.800. If K = 1 they are all 0.
- Percentages. Multiply by 100 and round:
cmyk(0%, 66%, 80%, 0%).
The RGB to CMYK step is the “naively convert from RGBA to CMYK” algorithm in CSS Color 5.
Read this before you print anything. CMYK here is the simple screen-to-ink arithmetic from the CSS Color 5 specification. It knows nothing about real inks, paper, dot gain or an ICC profile, which the specification itself calls “necessarily approximate”. Any workflow using a profile such as FOGRA39 or SWOP will give different numbers for the same color. Use this for quick web, spreadsheet and mock-up work, and use your print vendor’s profile for production.
Sources
- CSS Color Module Level 5, section "Naively Converting Between Uncalibrated CMYK and sRGB-Based Color" (retrieved October 16, 2026).
- CSS Color Module Level 4, W3C Candidate Recommendation Draft (retrieved October 16, 2026).
Cite this page: TNAADO Tools, “Hex to CMYK Converter,” tools.tnaado.ca/color/hex-to-cmyk/, formulas from the W3C CSS Color specifications, retrieved October 16, 2026.
20 common colors
Click Use to load a row into the converter. The names are CSS color names; CMYK is the simple screen formula described above.
| Color | HEX | RGB | HSL | CMYK | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| black | #000000 | rgb(0, 0, 0) | hsl(0, 0%, 0%) | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 100%) | |
| white | #FFFFFF | rgb(255, 255, 255) | hsl(0, 0%, 100%) | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | |
| red | #FF0000 | rgb(255, 0, 0) | hsl(0, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(0%, 100%, 100%, 0%) | |
| lime | #00FF00 | rgb(0, 255, 0) | hsl(120, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(100%, 0%, 100%, 0%) | |
| blue | #0000FF | rgb(0, 0, 255) | hsl(240, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(100%, 100%, 0%, 0%) | |
| yellow | #FFFF00 | rgb(255, 255, 0) | hsl(60, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(0%, 0%, 100%, 0%) | |
| cyan | #00FFFF | rgb(0, 255, 255) | hsl(180, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(100%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | |
| magenta | #FF00FF | rgb(255, 0, 255) | hsl(300, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(0%, 100%, 0%, 0%) | |
| gray | #808080 | rgb(128, 128, 128) | hsl(0, 0%, 50%) | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 50%) | |
| silver | #C0C0C0 | rgb(192, 192, 192) | hsl(0, 0%, 75%) | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 25%) | |
| maroon | #800000 | rgb(128, 0, 0) | hsl(0, 100%, 25%) | cmyk(0%, 100%, 100%, 50%) | |
| olive | #808000 | rgb(128, 128, 0) | hsl(60, 100%, 25%) | cmyk(0%, 0%, 100%, 50%) | |
| green | #008000 | rgb(0, 128, 0) | hsl(120, 100%, 25%) | cmyk(100%, 0%, 100%, 50%) | |
| purple | #800080 | rgb(128, 0, 128) | hsl(300, 100%, 25%) | cmyk(0%, 100%, 0%, 50%) | |
| teal | #008080 | rgb(0, 128, 128) | hsl(180, 100%, 25%) | cmyk(100%, 0%, 0%, 50%) | |
| navy | #000080 | rgb(0, 0, 128) | hsl(240, 100%, 25%) | cmyk(100%, 100%, 0%, 50%) | |
| orange | #FFA500 | rgb(255, 165, 0) | hsl(39, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(0%, 35%, 100%, 0%) | |
| pink | #FFC0CB | rgb(255, 192, 203) | hsl(350, 100%, 88%) | cmyk(0%, 25%, 20%, 0%) | |
| brown | #A52A2A | rgb(165, 42, 42) | hsl(0, 59%, 41%) | cmyk(0%, 75%, 75%, 35%) | |
| gold | #FFD700 | rgb(255, 215, 0) | hsl(51, 100%, 50%) | cmyk(0%, 16%, 100%, 0%) |
Hex to CMYK FAQ
How do I convert a hex color to CMYK?
Convert the hex to red, green and blue, scale them to 0-1, set K = 1 − max, and compute C, M and Y as (1 − channel − K) ÷ (1 − K). #FF5733 gives cmyk(0%, 66%, 80%, 0%).
Will my printer produce this color?
Not necessarily. This tool uses the simple formula from the CSS Color 5 specification, which has no ink, paper or gamut model, and the specification calls it necessarily approximate. Ask your printer for the ICC profile they use and convert with that.
Why is #000000 cmyk(0, 0, 0, 100)?
The simple formula puts all of the black in the K channel. A rich black in print adds the other inks, which the formula does not model.
What if my hex has alpha, like #FF573380?
CMYK has no transparency, so the alpha is ignored for the CMYK values and a note says so. The CMYK shown is for the fully opaque #FF5733.
Can I go from CMYK back to hex?
Yes, edit the CMYK box and the hex updates. Because the CMYK percentages are rounded to whole numbers, the hex you get back can differ by a step or two from the original.
Is anything I type sent to a server?
No. The conversion runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded or stored.
What this does, and what it does not
This converts between the screen color model (sRGB) and a simple CMYK approximation. It is not a color-managed print conversion, so do not use it to sign off print colors. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.