HEX to HWB | Color Code Converter | Color Conversion
Online HEX to HWB tool: enter a HEX color value to convert it to HWB in real time, with one-click copy of the result. Free and no registration required.
HEXEnter or adjust the color values
rgba(255, 87, 51, 1)
HWB
hwb(11 20% 0%)
H
11
W
20
B
0
All Color Conversion Combinations
132 itemsAbout HEX to HWB
HEX to HWB is a free online tool that converts HEX to HWB, helping you quickly convert colors and switch between formats in web design, front-end development, and graphic design. HEX is Represents the three RGB channels with a hexadecimal value built from the characters 0-9 and A-F. HWB is Describes color through hue (H), whiteness (W), and blackness (B); a format introduced in CSS Color 4. At its core, HEX to HWB takes a color value expressed in HEX and converts it into HWB using a mathematical algorithm. The tool shows the result as both a visual color swatch and a complete CSS string, and you can copy it to the clipboard with a single click—no manual calculation or lookup tables required. This makes color code conversion fast, accurate, and reproducible, and it is suitable for designers, front-end developers, UI engineers, and anyone else who works with color.
What Is HEX to HWB
HEX is a hexadecimal color code. It starts with # followed by 6 digits (or a 3-digit shorthand) of hexadecimal. The first two digits represent the red channel, the middle two green, and the last two blue, with each digit taking a value from 0-9 and A-F, covering roughly 16.77 million colors. HWB describes color through hue (H), whiteness (W), and blackness (B). It is a format added in CSS Color 4. H is 0-360°, and W and B are 0-100%. First convert HEX to RGB, then to HSV, and then compute according to the HWB definition: W = (1-S) × V and B = 1 - V, where S and V come from the HSV result.
How to Use HEX to HWB
Using this HEX to HWB tool is very simple and takes just three steps. First, select HEX from the "Source Color Unit" dropdown on the left (it is selected by default), and enter the HEX value you want to convert in the input card. Second, select HWB from the "Target Color Unit" dropdown on the right; the tool instantly calculates and displays the corresponding HWB value, along with a color swatch preview and the complete CSS string, so you can confirm the color and format at a glance. Third, once you are happy with the result, click the "Copy" button to copy the HWB value to your clipboard and paste it straight into your code or design software. If you picked the wrong source or target unit, click the "⇄" button in the middle to swap them with one click. The whole process requires no registration and no data upload—all calculations run locally in your browser.
Use Cases for HEX to HWB
Use this when a modern CSS project needs an HWB representation, especially for color tuning that follows an "add white / add black" approach. Web CSS, design annotations, brand color specifications, and any situation where you need to copy and paste colors between different applications. Modern CSS projects, color-tuning tasks that need intuitive hue adjustment, and color schemes that complement HSL.
How HEX to HWB Works
First convert HEX to RGB, then to HSV, and then compute according to the HWB definition: W = (1-S) × V and B = 1 - V, where S and V come from the HSV result. HEX is essentially another way of writing RGB: it converts the decimal numbers 0-255 into two hexadecimal digits. For example, in #FF5733, FF=255, 57=87, and 33=51, which is the same color as rgb(255, 87, 51). The intuitive meaning of HWB is: first choose a pure hue, then add white (to lighten) or black (to darken) to it. W and B cannot both exceed 100%, and when their sum exceeds 100% they are normalized proportionally.
Tips for Using HEX to HWB
If the sum of W and B in HWB exceeds 100%, it is normalized. When converting from HEX, W+B usually does not exceed 100%, so the result is fairly intuitive. HEX is case-insensitive, and the 3-digit shorthand #F53 is equivalent to #FF5533, but shorthand only works when each channel has two identical digits. In production projects it is best to standardize on the six-digit uppercase form to reduce ambiguity. HWB is closer to the intuition of "adding white or black to paint" than HSL. W=B=0 gives a pure color, and W+B=100% gives gray.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What do W and B mean after converting HEX to HWB?
W is how much white to add and B is how much black to add; both are adjustments relative to the pure hue.
Do HWB and HSL give the same conversion result?
No. HSL controls light and dark through lightness L, while HWB uses the two dimensions W and B, so the same color has different numbers in the two models.
Which browsers support HWB?
Modern browsers such as Chrome 101+, Safari 15+, and Firefox 96+.
Can HEX represent transparency?
A regular HEX value has only 6 digits and carries no transparency. If you need transparency, use HEX8 (#RRGGBBAA) or RGBA.
Why do some HEX values have only 3 digits?
The 3-digit form is shorthand in which each digit is duplicated: for example, #F53 is equivalent to #FF5533. Shorthand is convenient for hand-typing but has limited expressive power.
What is the difference between HWB and HSL?
HSL controls lightness through the L channel, while HWB controls lightening and darkening separately through whiteness W and blackness B; the latter is closer to the physical experience of mixing paint.
Which browsers support HWB?
Modern browsers such as Chrome 101+, Safari 15+, and Firefox 96+ support it; older browsers may not.
Can I convert in the opposite direction?
Yes. You can go directly to the "HWB to HEX" page, or click the "⇄" swap button in the middle of the current page to exchange the source and target units and convert in the opposite direction. The reverse conversion is just as precise, because the color conversion math is reversible.
Can I use the conversion results commercially?
Yes. Color values are numerical information and involve no copyright issues, so you are free to use the conversion results in websites, apps, design work, or commercial projects without authorization or attribution. Do note, however: if the original color comes from material that someone else holds the copyright to, using the color itself is unrestricted, but the copyright to the original material still belongs to its author.