Converter Tools
Color Temperature Converter
Convert kelvin to sRGB hex, RGB, HSL, and mired. Reverse lookup from any color to its closest black-body kelvin, with named light source presets.
Color temperature converter
Mode
Pick a color temperature in kelvin and see the matching sRGB color, mired value, CSS code, and nearest named light source.
Valid range 1,000 K to 40,000 K. Common photography preset is 5500 K; the sRGB and Rec.709 white point is 6500 K.
Quick presets
Color preview
Nearest named source
Noon daylight (D65)
6,500 K (154 mired)
CIE D65, the sRGB and Rec.709 white point.
Difference from this preset: 0 K (0 mired).
CSS snippet
/* 6,500 K */
:root {
--color-temp: #FFFEFA;
}Named light source reference
| Source | Kelvin | Mired | sRGB hex | Swatch | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,700 K | 588 | #FF7900 | Lit match, very warm amber. | ||
| 1,850 K | 541 | #FF8100 | Candlelight, also low-pressure sodium street lamps. | ||
| 2,200 K | 455 | #FF9227 | Decorative 'amber' filament lamps and dim restaurant lighting. | ||
| 2,700 K | 370 | #FFA757 | Warm white A19 bulbs, classic incandescent feel. | ||
| 3,000 K | 333 | #FFB16E | Halogen downlights, recessed home lighting. | ||
| 3,200 K | 313 | #FFB87B | Cinema 'tungsten' white balance preset. | ||
| 3,500 K | 286 | #FFC18D | Office overhead fluorescent. | ||
| 4,000 K | 250 | #FFCEA6 | Common 'cool white' fluorescent and LED panel. | ||
| 4,100 K | 244 | #FFD0AB | Full moon high overhead. | ||
| 5,000 K | 200 | #FFE4CE | ICC / print reference white. | ||
| 5,500 K | 182 | #FFEDDE | Studio strobe and mid-day sun reference. | ||
| 6,500 K | 154 | #FFFEFA | CIE D65, the sRGB and Rec.709 white point. | ||
| 7,500 K | 133 | #E6EBFF | Overcast north-facing window. | ||
| 10,000 K | 100 | #CADAFF | Clear blue sky away from the sun. | ||
| 15,000 K | 67 | #B5CDFF | Clear sky at high latitude or altitude. |
How the conversion works
A color temperature describes the visible color of a Planckian black-body radiator heated to the given kelvin value. Cool numbers below 3000 K glow amber and orange, neutral numbers near 5500 K look white, and hot numbers above 7000 K shift to blue. The conversion here uses Tanner Helland's published piecewise approximation of the Planckian locus, which photo editors, lighting tools, and 3D renderers use because it matches the sRGB white point (D65) at 6500 K and produces convincing screen output across the 1000 to 40000 K range.
What is a mired value?
Mired (M = 1,000,000 / K) is the reciprocal photographic unit lens filters and color meters use. The advantage is that equal mired steps look like equal color shifts to the eye, while equal kelvin steps do not. A blue filter rated at -150 mired warms the scene by the same visible amount no matter the starting white balance, which is why color-correction filters and color-meter shifts are sold in mired.
How to use
- Pick Kelvin to color and type a temperature in kelvin, or drag the slider, or tap a named preset chip.
- Or pick Color to kelvin and paste a hex code, or use the color picker, to find the closest black-body temperature.
- Read the swatch, hex, RGB, HSL, and mired values; copy any line with the Copy button next to it.
- Use the named light source reference table for a side-by-side view of candle, tungsten, daylight, and sky values.
About this tool
Color Temperature Converter turns a color temperature in kelvin into the equivalent screen color (sRGB hex, RGB, HSL, and a swatch you can see) and reports the matching mired value photographers and lighting designers use. Pick any kelvin value from 1000 K (deep amber, lit match) to 40000 K (deep blue polar sky), or tap one of the named presets (candle 1850 K, Edison bulb 2200 K, soft white LED 2700 K, warm halogen 3000 K, tungsten studio 3200 K, neutral fluorescent 3500 K, cool white 4000 K, moonlight 4100 K, horizon daylight D50 5000 K, photographic flash D55 5500 K, noon daylight D65 6500 K, north-sky D75 7500 K, blue sky 10000 K, polar sky 15000 K). The math uses Tanner Helland's published piecewise approximation of the Planckian locus, which ships in photo editors, lighting tools, and 3D renderers because it matches the sRGB D65 white point at 6500 K and produces convincing results across the full range. A reverse-lookup mode goes the other direction: paste a hex color and the tool searches the 1000 to 40000 K range to find the kelvin value whose sRGB output is closest to your color, reports the residual color distance so you can tell whether the input really sits on the black-body curve, and shows the nearest named light source. A mired value (M = 1,000,000 / K) is shown for every result; mired is the reciprocal unit photographic CTO and CTB lens filters, color-temperature meters, and gel-correction stacks use, because equal mired steps look like equal visible color shifts while equal kelvin steps do not. Useful for picking the right LED color temperature for a room, matching a CSS background to a lighting reference, planning a photo or video white balance, choosing a CTO or CTB gel strength, looking up what 5500 K or D65 actually looks like, comparing 2700 K and 3000 K bulbs side by side, deciding between 'soft white' and 'cool white' lights, and answering search questions like 'what is 3200 K in hex' or 'what kelvin is this color'. Every calculation runs locally in your browser; the values you type are not uploaded.
Free to use. Works in your browser. No signup, no login.
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