The 216 Web-Safe Colors

The 216 Web Safe colors are the colors that any computer, using any operating system, running any browser will display accurately. You can use other colors but they will not always make your page look right on your visitors display. That's why these 216 colors are valuable. They always show up right on anyone's computer. The 216 colors are created by allowing each of the pixel colors (red, green, and blue) to be set at any one of six levels (6 x 6 x 6 = 216). Each color can be turned completely off, 00 or set up through 33, 66, 99, CC, or FF, which is completely on. Obviously these aren't regular base-10 numbers (the decimals, 0-9), they are hexidecimal numbers (base-16). All you need to know about them is that C is more than 9, and F is higher than C. What you need is a good reference so you can find the colors you need quickly, which means they need to be arranged well.

I have seen some of the weirdest arrangements of these colors: color wheels, hexagons, 6 columns with red and blue at top but green buried somewhere in the middle!?!?!? The last seems especially bizarre, but I've actually seen it on the web more than the others combined. All of these layouts are so confusing, it's ridiculous. Now it's got to be perfectly obvious to anyone who suffered through graphing in high school that three variables (like red, green and, blue) should be graphed on three axes. (x, y, and z) This means that the 216 Web Safe colors are most reasonably arranged in a cube. I know I'm not the only one to figure this out, however, I can't point you to any place on the net or any book that presents it this way. So, I've done it myself here. Here are the 216 Web Safe Colors as arranged as slices from the color cube. Each slice has 36 colors set to the same level of red. Or there are other arrangements.

Arrange by Color Values

Red Values = FF

#FF00FF

#FF33FF

#FF66FF

#FF99FF

#FFCCFF

#FFFFFF

#FF00CC

#FF33CC

#FF66CC

#FF99CC

#FFCCCC

#FFFFCC

#FF0099

#FF3399

#FF6699

#FF9999

#FFCC99

#FFFF99

#FF0066

#FF3366

#FF6666

#FF9966

#FFCC66

#FFFF66

#FF0033

#FF3333

#FF6633

#FF9933

#FFCC33

#FFFF33

#FF0000

#FF3300

#FF6600

#FF9900

#FFCC00

#FFFF00

Red Values = CC

#CC00FF

#CC33FF

#CC66FF

#CC99FF

#CCCCFF

#CCFFFF

#CC00CC

#CC33CC

#CC66CC

#CC99CC

#CCCCCC

#CCFFCC

#CC0099

#CC3399

#CC6699

#CC9999

#CCCC99

#CCFF99

#CC0066

#CC3366

#CC6666

#CC9966

#CCCC66

#CCFF66

#CC0033

#CC3333

#CC6633

#CC9933

#CCCC33

#CCFF33

#CC0000

#CC3300

#CC6600

#CC9900

#CCCC00

#CCFF00

Red Values = 99

#9900FF

#9933FF

#9966FF

#9999FF

#99CCFF

#99FFFF

#9900CC

#9933CC

#9966CC

#9999CC

#99CCCC

#99FFCC

#990099

#993399

#996699

#999999

#99CC99

#99FF99

#990066

#993366

#996666

#999966

#99CC66

#99FF66

#990033

#993333

#996633

#999933

#99CC33

#99FF33

#990000

#993300

#996600

#999900

#99CC00

#99FF00

Red Values = 66

#6600FF

#6633FF

#6666FF

#6699FF

#66CCFF

#66FFFF

#6600CC

#6633CC

#6666CC

#6699CC

#66CCCC

#66FFCC

#660099

#663399

#666699

#669999

#66CC99

#66FF99

#660066

#663366

#666666

#669966

#66CC66

#66FF66

#660033

#663333

#666633

#669933

#66CC33

#66FF33

#660000

#663300

#666600

#669900

#66CC00

#66FF00

Red Values = 33

#3300FF

#3333FF

#3366FF

#3399FF

#33CCFF

#33FFFF

#3300CC

#3333CC

#3366CC

#3399CC

#33CCCC

#33FFCC

#330099

#333399

#336699

#339999

#33CC99

#33FF99

#330066

#333366

#336666

#339966

#33CC66

#33FF66

#330033

#333333

#336633

#339933

#33CC33

#33FF33

#330000

#333300

#336600

#339900

#33CC00

#33FF00

Red Values = 00

#0000FF

#0033FF

#0066FF

#0099FF

#00CCFF

#00FFFF

#0000CC

#0033CC

#0066CC

#0099CC

#00CCCC

#00FFCC

#000099

#003399

#006699

#009999

#00CC99

#00FF99

#000066

#003366

#006666

#009966

#00CC66

#00FF66

#000033

#003333

#006633

#009933

#00CC33

#00FF33

#000000

#003300

#006600

#009900

#00CC00

#00FF00