WheelQuirk

Random color wheel

Spin a 12-part color wheel for a random color, then copy its HEX code in one click. Swap in your own colors by name or code.

12-hue color wheel

Color list

Use color names (Teal, Coral) or HEX codes (#1A9E8F). Add a name before a code to label it: Ocean #1A9E8F.

0 entriesUp to 1,000

Start from a sample

Your color is

“Remove from wheel” deletes this entry from your list so it can’t come up again. Undo brings it back.

How to use the color wheel

  1. Pick a set of colors. The wheel starts as a classic 12-part artist’s color wheel. Choose another sample, press Fill with 12 random colors, or type your own.
  2. Spin. Each segment is painted in its own color, so you can watch the colors pass the pointer.
  3. Use the result. The result window shows a large swatch, the color’s name and its HEX code. Press Copy HEX to paste the code into a design app, a CSS file or a paint-matching tool.

Adding your own colors

Put one color on each line, in any of these forms:

  • a common color name, such as Teal, Coral or Navy;
  • a six-digit HEX code, such as #1A9E8F, which shows the nearest common name in the result;
  • your own label followed by a code, such as Brand green #1A9E8F.

Lines that aren’t a color WheelQuirk recognizes are left off the wheel, and a message tells you how many. Short HEX codes like #FFF aren’t supported, so write them in full (#FFFFFF).

What a HEX code means

A HEX code describes a screen color as three pairs of hexadecimal digits: the amount of red, green and blue light, each from 00 (none) to FF (full). #FF0000 is pure red, #FFFFFF is white and #000000 is black. Colors can look slightly different from screen to screen, and printed or painted colors won’t match a screen exactly.

The 12-part color wheel

The default wheel follows the traditional artist’s color wheel used in art classes:

  • Primary colors: red, yellow and blue.
  • Secondary colors: orange, green and violet, each made by mixing two primaries.
  • Tertiary colors: the six in-between shades, such as yellow-green and red-violet.

Colors directly opposite each other are complementary: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and violet. A quick design exercise is to spin, then use the color straight across the wheel as your accent. Colors next to each other (analogous colors) sit together calmly, which suits backgrounds and gentle palettes.

Ideas for a random color

Drawing challenges
Spin for the one color you’re allowed to use, or the color your next sketch must feature.
Kids’ games
Spin, then race to find something in the room that matches.
Design warm-ups
Build a quick palette around a random starting color and its complement.
Outfits and crafts
Let the wheel choose a theme color for a party, a knitting project or a weekend outfit.

Questions and answers

How do I copy the HEX code?

After a spin, press Copy HEX in the result window. Your spin history in the Results tab also lists each color with its code.

Why didn’t some of my colors appear on the wheel?

Each line must be a common color name or a full six-digit HEX code (for example #1A9E8F). Other lines are left off, and a message under the list says how many.

Can I change the wheel’s color palette?

On this page each segment uses its own color, so palettes are switched off. The other WheelQuirk wheels let you choose palettes or your own colors in the Customize tab.

What is a complementary color?

The color directly opposite on the color wheel, such as blue and orange. Complementary pairs give strong contrast.

Will the color look the same when printed?

Not exactly. Screens mix light while printers mix ink, and screens vary in calibration. Use the HEX code as a starting point and check a printed proof for important work.