Got an NCS code from a paint card, a spec sheet or an architect's drawing? Type it in below and see its RGB and CMYK values in one click. You can also work the other way. Enter RGB or CMYK numbers and browse the NCS colors that sit closest to them. It is free, and you do not need an account.
These are three color systems built for three different jobs. Knowing which one fits your project saves you from the classic "it looked different on the wall" conversation.
RGB mixes red, green and blue light. That makes it the language of monitors, phones, websites and apps. Each channel runs from 0 to 255.
CMYK layers cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink. Printers use it for brochures, packaging, magazines and books. Each value is a percentage from 0 to 100.
NCS describes a color by how the human eye perceives it. Designers use it for paint, coatings, textiles and interiors.
RGB and CMYK depend on a device. NCS depends on perception. For that reason, no conversion between them is ever perfectly one to one. Very saturated NCS colors can fall outside what a screen or a CMYK press can show, so the converter gives you the closest match.
NCS stands for Natural Color System. It was developed in Sweden around a simple idea. People do not think of color as a mix of ink or light. We say things like "fairly dark, a bit yellowish, not very vivid." NCS turns that everyday way of describing color into a precise code.
Everything starts with six elementary colors.
Every other color is described by how much it resembles those six. So an NCS code does not hold a name like "dusty rose." It holds numbers that place the color exactly. As a result, an architect in Oslo, a paint maker in Madrid and a designer in Cape Town all read the same code the same way.
NCS is the national color standard in Sweden, Norway, Spain and South Africa. Architects, interior designers, paint manufacturers and retailers use it around the world.
Take the code S 2030-Y90R as an example. Each part tells you something different.
Blackness, chromaticness and whiteness always add up to 100. Here, the remaining 50% is whiteness. Neutral grays have no hue at all, so they end in N. For instance, S 0300 N is a very light gray.
NCS is excellent for specifying a physical surface. Your design software, your website and your print shop, however, do not speak NCS. Converting gives them numbers they can work with.
Match a brand's NCS wall color or product finish in a website, app or mockup.
Get CMYK starting values for labels and brochures that need to echo a painted or coated surface.
Build moodboards and visualizations that stay close to the colors on the spec sheet.
Keep renders, catalogs and physical samples pointing at the same color.
The NCS color chart lays out every NCS color in one orderly system. Colors sit around a color circle by hue. Each hue then gets its own page, a triangle with white at the top, black at the bottom and the full-strength color at the far corner.
Move down the triangle and the color gets darker. Move to the right and it gets more vivid. Since every spot has its own code, designers, clients and manufacturers can point at exactly the same color. Nobody has to argue about what "warm sand" means.
That is why the chart is so handy for color development, product design, interiors, sales and marketing.
Need offline access to the full database of supported Natural Color System (NCS) colors, RGB screen values, and CMYK printing formulas? Download our free comprehensive color chart (PDF) or database (CSV).
The S marks the standard NCS edition. The first number, 20, is the blackness. The second number, 30, is the chromaticness, which tells you how colorful the shade is. Y90R is the hue: yellow shifted 90% of the way toward red, so a red with a hint of yellow. Whatever is left over is whiteness, here 50%.
Type your NCS code into the NCS field at the top of the page. A color card appears with a preview and the RGB value, shown as three numbers from 0 to 255. Copy those numbers straight into your design software or CSS.
Use the same NCS field. Each result card also lists the CMYK value as four percentages from 0 to 100. Treat it as a solid starting point for print files. The final result still depends on your press, ink and paper.
No, and no online converter can be. NCS describes how a physical surface looks in daylight. RGB is light from a screen and CMYK is ink on paper, and each has its own limits. Very saturated NCS colors can even fall outside what a screen or a CMYK press can reproduce. For paint, packaging or brand colors, always compare the result with a physical NCS sample.
Four things usually cause it: the lighting in the room, how your screen is calibrated, the finish of the surface (matte or gloss) and the paper and ink used for printing. Judge physical samples in natural daylight and tilt them to avoid glare and reflections.
Yes. Fill in the CMYK or RGB fields instead of the NCS field and the converter lists the closest NCS colors. NCS has a fixed catalog of colors, so you get the nearest match rather than a guaranteed exact one.
They are different color catalogs built for different jobs. NCS describes color by how the eye sees it and is popular in architecture and paint. RAL is a set of numbered colors common in Europe for paint, powder coating and signage. Pantone is a matching system used mostly for printing inks. The codes are not interchangeable, so converting between them always means finding the nearest match.
Yes. You can download the complete NCS color chart as a 22-page printable reference PDF guide or as a CSV spreadsheet with all 1,979 colors, RGB values, and CMYK formulas using the download section above.
Yes. It is free to use, there is nothing to install and you do not need an account.
Working with other color systems? Try our Pantone to CMYK converter or browse all our tools.
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