RGB Colour Model — Red, Green, Blue Reference

The RGB colour model is the foundation of all digital colour. Every pixel on your screen is a combination of Red, Green and Blue light at varying intensities. Learn how RGB works, explore common values and use the interactive mixer below.

Interactive RGB Mixer

Drag the sliders to mix Red, Green and Blue channels (0-255 each). The live preview shows the resulting colour with its HEX code.

R 201
G 168
B 76
#C9A84C
RGBrgb(201, 168, 76)
HEX#C9A84C
CSSrgb(201,168,76)

What is the RGB Colour Model?

RGB is an additive colour model in which Red, Green and Blue light are combined in various proportions to reproduce a broad range of colours. The model is called "additive" because adding all three primary colours at full intensity produces white light, while the absence of all three produces black.

Each channel in the standard RGB model uses 8 bits of data, providing 256 discrete intensity levels (0 to 255). With three independent channels, the total number of representable colours is 256 × 256 × 256 = 16,777,216 — often referred to as "True Colour" or "24-bit colour". This is the native colour space of virtually all digital screens including computer monitors, smartphones, tablets, TVs and LED displays.

RGB colour values are expressed in several formats: as a triplet of decimal numbers (e.g. 255, 99, 71), as a HEX code (#FF6347) or as a CSS function (rgb(255,99,71)). All three representations describe the same colour. The HEX format is most commonly used in web development, while the decimal triplet is preferred in image editing software and programming.

Common RGB Values

A reference table of 20 standard colours with their RGB values, HEX codes and colour swatches.

SwatchNameRGBHEX
Black 0 0 0 #000000
White 255 255 255 #FFFFFF
Red 255 0 0 #FF0000
Lime 0 255 0 #00FF00
Blue 0 0 255 #0000FF
Yellow 255 255 0 #FFFF00
Cyan 0 255 255 #00FFFF
Magenta 255 0 255 #FF00FF
Silver 192 192 192 #C0C0C0
Gray 128 128 128 #808080
Maroon 128 0 0 #800000
Olive 128 128 0 #808000
Green 0 128 0 #008000
Purple 128 0 128 #800080
Teal 0 128 128 #008080
Navy 0 0 128 #000080
Orange 255 165 0 #FFA500
Coral 255 127 80 #FF7F50
Gold 255 215 0 #FFD700
Tomato 255 99 71 #FF6347

Related Colour References

Explore other colour systems and conversion tools on Color.Codes.in.

HEX Colours CMYK Reference Pantone Chart RAL Colours NCS Index

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the RGB colour model?▼
RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue — an additive colour model where colours are created by combining these three primary light channels. Each channel ranges from 0 (off) to 255 (full intensity), producing over 16.7 million possible colours. RGB is the standard for screens, monitors and digital displays.
How does RGB differ from CMYK?▼
RGB is additive (light-based) and used for screens. Combining all three at full intensity produces white. CMYK is subtractive (ink-based) and used for printing. Combining all four inks at full density produces black. Colours designed in RGB should be converted to CMYK before sending to a print shop.
What is 8-bit colour depth?▼
8-bit colour depth means each channel (R, G, B) uses 8 bits of data, allowing 256 levels of intensity per channel (0-255). With three channels, this gives 256 x 256 x 256 = 16,777,216 total colours, commonly called "True Colour" or "24-bit colour".
How do I convert RGB to HEX?▼
Convert each decimal value (0-255) to its two-digit hexadecimal equivalent. For example, RGB(255, 165, 0) becomes FF (255), A5 (165), 00 (0) = #FFA500. Use our interactive slider above for instant conversion.
Where is RGB colour used?▼
RGB is used in all digital displays: computer monitors, mobile screens, TVs, LED signage and projectors. It is also the native colour space for web design (HTML/CSS), digital photography, video editing and game development.