About

Colortone and Pantone references define color by name and number, not by device-native coordinates. Feeding a press operator "Colortone 485 C" is unambiguous on an offset press, but a browser renders pixels in R, G, B channels ranging 0 - 255. Mismatched conversions between spot-color systems and digital RGB cause visible hue drift, particularly in reds and deep blues where perceptual nonlinearity is steepest. This tool maps standardized Colortone/Pantone Solid Coated references to their canonical sRGB triplets using the published coated-stock data. It outputs simultaneous HEX and HSL representations so you can paste values directly into CSS, design software, or firmware color registers. Accuracy is limited to the sRGB gamut; out-of-gamut spot colors are clamped to the nearest reproducible coordinate, which may shift chroma by 2 - 5 ΔE units.

Formulas

RGB-to-HEX conversion encodes each channel as a two-digit hexadecimal string concatenated with a # prefix:

HEX = # + pad(R.toString(16)) + pad(G.toString(16)) + pad(B.toString(16))

RGB-to-HSL conversion normalizes channels to the range [0, 1], then derives hue from the dominant channel:

R′ = R255 , G′ = G255 , B′ = B255

L = C_max + C_min2

S =

{

0 if Δ = 0Δ1 − |2L − 1| otherwise

Where Δ = C_max − C_min. The hue H is computed in 60° segments based on which channel is C_max. WCAG contrast ratio uses relative luminance:

L_rel = 0.2126R_lin + 0.7152G_lin + 0.0722B_lin

Where R_lin is the linearized sRGB channel value. The contrast ratio between two luminances L₁ and L₂ is (L₁ + 0.05) ÷ (L₂ + 0.05), where L₁ ≥ L₂.

Reference Data

Colortone / Pantone	HEX	R	G	B	Category
Yellow C	#FEDD00	254	221	0	Primary Yellow
Red 032 C	#EF3340	239	51	64	Primary Red
Reflex Blue C	#001489	0	20	137	Primary Blue
Black C	#2D2926	45	41	38	Neutral
485 C	#DA291C	218	41	28	Warm Red
186 C	#C8102E	200	16	46	Red
300 C	#005EB8	0	94	184	Blue
349 C	#046A38	4	106	56	Green
021 C	#FE5000	254	80	0	Orange
Process Blue C	#0085CA	0	133	202	Process Blue
Warm Red C	#F9423A	249	66	58	Warm Red
Cool Gray 11 C	#53565A	83	86	90	Cool Gray
Cool Gray 1 C	#D9D9D6	217	217	214	Cool Gray
Warm Gray 11 C	#6E6259	110	98	89	Warm Gray
116 C	#FFCD00	255	205	0	Yellow
185 C	#E4002B	228	0	43	Red
286 C	#0032A0	0	50	160	Blue
347 C	#009639	0	150	57	Green
151 C	#FF8200	255	130	0	Orange
513 C	#93328E	147	50	142	Purple
7455 C	#3A5DAE	58	93	174	Blue
7548 C	#FFC600	255	198	0	Yellow
7625 C	#C26E60	194	110	96	Earth Red
7467 C	#00B0B9	0	176	185	Teal
2685 C	#56368A	86	54	138	Violet
7527 C	#D6D2C4	214	210	196	Warm Gray
180 C	#BE4D00	190	77	0	Rust
2748 C	#001E62	0	30	98	Navy
7404 C	#F5E100	245	225	0	Lemon
7462 C	#1D4F91	29	79	145	Marine

Frequently Asked Questions

Colortone and Pantone inks are spot colors mixed from base pigments. Their gamut exceeds sRGB in saturated oranges, greens, and violets. The converter clamps out-of-gamut values to the nearest sRGB coordinate, which can introduce a perceptual shift of 2-5 ΔE units. Always cross-reference with a physical swatch book for critical color matching.

The C suffix means the ink is printed on coated (glossy) stock, which absorbs less ink and produces more vivid color. U (uncoated) stock absorbs more, dulling saturation. The RGB values in this tool correspond to the Coated specification. Uncoated variants typically shift lightness by +5 to +15 units and reduce saturation by 10-20%.

Yes, the output values can be pasted into CSS as rgb(), hex, or hsl(). However, monitor calibration, viewing angle, and ambient light affect perception. For brand-critical work, pair these digital values with a hardware-calibrated display profiled to sRGB IEC 61966-2-1.

The tool uses Levenshtein distance to rank candidates. It returns the closest match if the edit distance is ≤ 3 characters. For distances > 3, no match is returned to avoid false positives. Searching by numeric code (e.g., 485) is always exact and preferred when you know the reference number.

No. This converter covers Pantone/Colortone Solid Coated spot colors only. Extended Gamut (XG) uses a 7-ink CMYK+OGV process with different spectral data. CMYK process conversions require an ICC profile transform, which is substrate-dependent and outside the scope of a spot-color lookup.

The contrast ratio compares the converted color's relative luminance against pure white (#FFFFFF). WCAG 2.0 Level AA requires ≥ 4.5:1 for normal text and ≥ 3:1 for large text (18px+ bold or 24px+ regular). A ratio below 3:1 means the color is unsuitable as a text color on white backgrounds without accessibility risk.