Tertiary Color Picker

Steps to pick tertiary colors with our color picker

1. Pick one of the six tertiary colors, from red-orange round to red-violet.
2. Click a shade on its ramp to select it and preview the exact color.
3. Copy the HEX, with RGB and HSL alongside, for your palette or stylesheet.
4. Want the source colors? Start at the primary and secondary colors they come from.

Red-orange, blue-green and the other tertiary colors

Each tertiary sits between a primary and the secondary next to it, so its name lists the two it was mixed from. Here are all six with a representative HEX:

What are the tertiary colors?

Tertiary colors are the six that fill the gaps on the color wheel, each made by mixing a primary with the secondary beside it. They are what turn a basic six-color wheel into the full twelve-part wheel, and they give names to the in-between shades a plain palette skips over.

Tertiary vs primary and secondary colors

Why tertiary colors make better palettes

Designs that stick to primaries and secondaries often look loud and a little childish, and that is exactly where tertiary colors help. Sitting between the obvious hues, they read as more sophisticated and natural, which is why most real-world palettes lean on tertiaries far more than on pure red or blue. For a balanced scheme, starting from a tertiary is usually the smarter move.

Where tertiary colors get used

• Nuanced brand palettes that want to avoid the obvious primary look.
• Color harmonies on the twelve-part wheel, the same one the Scheme Generator uses.
• Natural and editorial design, where teal (blue-green) and amber (yellow-orange) feel richer than flat primaries.
• Extending a palette by softening a tertiary into tints and shades.