Hex Colour to Name Converter NZ

This tool finds the nearest named CSS colour to any hex colour you choose, matching your shade to the closest standard colour name. CSS defines around 140 named colours, words like tomato, steelblue and gold, that map to specific hex values, and it is often useful to know which named colour is closest to a particular shade: for readable code, for describing a colour in words, for picking a recognisable name near your brand colour, or simply out of curiosity about what a hex value would be called. Because most hex colours do not exactly match a named one, the tool finds the closest. You choose a colour, and the calculator compares it against the full set of named CSS colours, measuring the distance in colour space, and returns the nearest name, its hex value, and how close the match is, along with a swatch of each so you can see them side by side. The results update as you change the colour. Use it to name a colour, to find a recognisable named colour near a custom one, to write more readable CSS, or to explore the named palette. The matching works by treating each colour as a point defined by its red, green and blue components and finding the named colour with the smallest distance to yours, the standard way to measure colour similarity. The closer the match, the more your colour resembles a standard named one; a distant match means your shade sits between named colours with no close equivalent. While exact hex values give precise control, named colours are easier to read and remember, so finding the nearest name is handy when communicating about colour or choosing a memorable approximation. The result is the single closest CSS colour name, which you can use directly in your stylesheets.

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steelblue
nearest CSS colour name
Named hex#4682B4
MatchClose

Compares your colour against the ~140 named CSS colours by RGB distance and returns the closest. Most hex colours fall between named ones, so the match is the nearest, not exact.

How it works

Your colour is split into its red, green and blue components. The calculator measures the distance between your colour and each named CSS colour, treating them as points in colour space, and finds the one with the smallest distance. That nearest named colour, its hex value and a measure of how close it is are returned.

Worked example

For a mid-blue such as #2f6fb0, the calculator compares it against every named CSS colour and finds steelblue, hex #4682B4, as the closest match. The two shades sit near each other in colour space, so it is a close match, shown with swatches of both your colour and steelblue side by side.

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Frequently asked questions

How many named CSS colours are there?

CSS defines around 140 named colours, from common ones like red, blue and green to more specific names like tomato, steelblue and gold. Each maps to a fixed hex value. This tool finds which of them is closest to your chosen colour.

Why is the match not exact?

Most hex colours do not correspond exactly to a named CSS colour, since the named set covers only about 140 specific points. The tool therefore finds the nearest one by colour distance, which is usually a close approximation rather than an exact match.

How is the nearest colour found?

Each colour is treated as a point defined by its red, green and blue values, and the tool measures the distance between your colour and each named one. The named colour with the smallest distance is the closest match, the standard way to compare colour similarity.