01
Enter a HEX colour
Type three or six hexadecimal digits, with or without the leading #. Or use the colour picker, or the screen eyedropper where your browser supports it.
CMYK → HEX converter
Convert CMYK to HEX the moment you type
Enter cyan, magenta, yellow and black percentages and get a CSS-ready hex code instantly — with RGB, HSL and a live swatch. The HEX field stays editable too, so you can jump between directions without losing your place.
- No submit button — converts as you type
- 100% client-side — nothing is uploaded
- No ads, no account
Converter
CMYK to HEX, both ways
Start from the ink percentages, or flip over and type a HEX code. Everything stays in sync.
3 or 6 digits
Enter a 3 or 6 digit hexadecimal colour, with or without the leading hash.
Recent
Nothing yet.
#7C3AED
- HEX
- CMYK
- RGB
- HSL
Total ink coverage
131%
Within the ~300% most commercial presses accept.
CMYK here is the standard sRGB approximation — a faithful preview, not a press-calibrated match.
How it works
Three steps, nothing complicated
02
Read the ink breakdown
C, M, Y and K percentages update instantly as visual ink bars, alongside RGB, HSL and a Total Ink Coverage check so you know the colour is press-safe.
03
Copy, or work in reverse
Click any value to copy it, or edit the ink percentages directly and watch the HEX update. Deep-link or share any result — the colour lives in the URL.
The formula, in plain terms
There is no direct route from HEX to CMYK — the conversion always passes through RGB. Each channel is scaled by how much black ink remains:
k = 1 − max(R′, G′, B′)
c = (1 − R′ − k) ÷ (1 − k)
m = (1 − G′ − k) ÷ (1 − k)
y = (1 − B′ − k) ÷ (1 − k)Where R′, G′, B′ are the 0–255 channels divided by 255. Going the other way, R = 255 × (1 − C) × (1 − K).
A worked example
Take #7C3AED, a vivid violet. Its channels are R=124, G=58, B=237, so B′ = 237/255 ≈ 0.929 is the maximum and k ≈ 0.071 — about 7% black.
C
48%
M
76%
Y
0%
K
7%
That is a total ink coverage of 131% — comfortably inside the ~300% most commercial presses accept.
Everything runs in your browser
Every conversion happens locally in JavaScript. Nothing you type, pick, or paste is sent to a server — there is no analytics beacon on your colour inputs, no account, and no rate limit. Close the tab and it is gone.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the most common questions about converting HEX to CMYK, converting CMYK to HEX, RGB, print accuracy, bulk conversion and privacy.
Can I go the other way?
Yes — every field in the converter is editable. Change any of C, M, Y or K and the HEX, RGB and HSL update instantly. This page starts you in the reverse direction; the HEX field stays live either way.
Is the CMYK conversion exact?
No, and it cannot be. CMYK describes ink on paper; HEX describes light on a screen. A large part of what a screen can show has no ink equivalent at all, and the real answer depends on the ICC profile of the press and the paper stock. Treat this output as a strong starting point for your printer, not a locked specification.
Why do I see slightly different CMYK values on other sites?
Because CMYK conversion is not standardised the way RGB and HEX are. Tools assume different colour profiles (SWOP, GRACoL, FOGRA) and different rounding. A one or two percent difference between sites is normal and expected.
What is Total Ink Coverage (TAC) and why does it matter?
TAC is simply C + M + Y + K added together. Most commercial presses run best at or below roughly 280–300%. Above that, ink dries slowly, can smudge or offset, and may be rejected by the printer. This tool flags colours that run high so you can adjust before sending artwork.
Does this tool store or upload my colours?
No. Every conversion happens locally in your browser. Nothing you type, pick or paste is sent to a server. The only thing we keep is a short list of your recent colours in your own browser storage, which you control and can clear at any time.
Can I convert a whole palette at once?
Yes — use the bulk converter. Paste as many HEX codes as you like, separated by newlines, commas or spaces, and get back a table with CMYK, RGB and HSL for each. Copy the result or download it as CSV, CSS variables, SCSS or JSON.