How do you convert a Pantone color to RGB?
You look up a screen approximation for the ink and express it as red, green and blue values from 0 to 255. Type PANTONE 186 C into this tool and it returns rgb(200, 16, 46). The value comes from a fixed table of 38 coated Pantone colors, with each stored HEX code split into its three channels.
PANTONE is a trademark of Pantone LLC; this site is independent and not endorsed by it. Pantone itself warns that colors shown on screen "may not match PANTONE-identified color standards" (pantone.com), and that's true of every RGB value here.
Where RGB numbers get used
A lot of software asks for three numbers rather than a HEX code: the custom color dialog in presentation and spreadsheet programs, theme files for apps, game engines, LED and lighting controllers, and of course CSS, where rgb(200 16 46) and rgb(200, 16, 46) are both valid (CSS Color Module Level 4). If someone hands you a brand guide that only names a Pantone ink, this is the quickest way to get numbers you can type into those fields.
Worked example
The table stores PANTONE 186 C as #C8102E. Splitting that into pairs and reading each as base 16:
| Channel | HEX pair | Base-16 arithmetic | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | C8 | 12 × 16 + 8 | 200 |
| Green | 10 | 1 × 16 + 0 | 16 |
| Blue | 2E | 2 × 16 + 14 | 46 |
So the output is rgb(200, 16, 46). Because the stored values are whole HEX codes, the RGB output never has decimals.
A few more lookups:
| You type | Output |
|---|---|
2935 |
rgb(0, 87, 184) |
Rhodamine Red |
rgb(225, 0, 152) |
PANTONE 375 C |
rgb(132, 189, 0) |
warm gray 1 |
rgb(215, 210, 203) |
Black |
rgb(45, 41, 38) |
Black 6 |
rgb(38, 34, 35) |
Why screen and print disagree
Even with perfect numbers, a spot color on paper and the same color on a monitor won't look identical. A screen adds red, green and blue light together, while a printed ink absorbs some of the light falling on it and reflects the rest. Three things shift the printed result in ways RGB can't capture:
- Paper. Pantone's C and U suffixes exist because the same ink looks different on coated and uncoated stock (Pantone support). This table only has coated references.
- Lighting. A printed swatch changes with the light you view it under; a screen emits its own.
- Your display. An uncalibrated or wide-gamut monitor shows the same RGB numbers differently from a standard sRGB screen.
Metallics are a fourth case. Pantone lists 871 C and 877 C in its Metallics Coated library (871 C on pantone.com); their RGB values here are flat colors with none of the shine.
When the name isn't found
Matching ignores letter case and extra spaces. The PANTONE or PMS prefix and the trailing C are optional, Grey is read as Gray, and a missing leading zero is added, so pantone 186c, PMS 186, 186, 72 (for 072 C) and Cool Grey 11 all work. Two cases still give an error:
| What you typed | Message | Try instead |
|---|---|---|
186 U |
"Only coated (C) references are in this tool's table, so uncoated (U) colors can't be looked up.", plus a note that PANTONE 186 C is listed | 186 C, knowing it's a coated value |
485 C |
"Enter a known PANTONE name or number, e.g. PANTONE 286 C." | Find a neighbor with the reverse tool below |
Going further
If you need to tweak the color (lighter tints for backgrounds, a darker hover state), convert the result with the RGB to HSV converter and adjust brightness there. For a HEX code from the same numbers, use the RGB to HEX converter. And to find the closest Pantone ink for an RGB value you already have, the RGB to Pantone finder searches this same table in reverse. To pick a fresh color visually, the color picker gives you RGB and HEX together.
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