About ColorPlum
Updated
ColorPlum is run by Paul Gunder of Rocky Mountain Apps, a small company that builds free calculators, generators and reference tools. The site is for anyone who needs a color to be right: a designer matching a brand, a developer picking an accessible text color, a teacher making a poster, a crafter choosing yarn for a blanket, or someone who just wants a plain wallpaper in the exact shade of their team's jersey.
What makes ColorPlum different
- Values come from a named source. A named color's value comes from the CSS Color Module Level 4 named-color list or from the xkcd color survey, and the page says which. Where two lists disagree (CSS "lavender" is far paler than the survey's), the page shows both so you can choose. We never invent a value and call it standard.
- The math is the published math. Hex, RGB, HSL, Lab and OKLCH conversions follow the CSS Color 4 specification, and contrast uses the WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance formula. Read how ColorPlum works for the details.
- Every page is a working tool. Copy any code, test the color against your own background, edit a gradient and download it, or make variations of a palette. Your colors stay in the address bar, so a link reopens exactly what you made.
- No account and no uploads. The tools run in your browser. Nothing you pick is sent anywhere.
What it doesn't do
- It isn't a paint or print match. A hex code describes a color on a screen. Paint, ink and fabric are made differently, and every screen and printer shows the same code a little differently, so check a physical sample before you buy.
- It isn't an accessibility audit. The contrast checks apply WCAG's color-contrast success criteria. Accessibility involves much more than color, and a full review needs a person.
- No calculators. For working out real-life figures, Calcimator has calculators.
Found a mistake?
If a value looks wrong, tell us on the contact page with the page link. Corrections are logged on What changed.