HSB to HSL Converter
HSB (HSV) in, HSL out — with the working shown.
To convert HSB to HSL, normalise the input, convert HSB back to RGB, find max, min and delta, compute the components, then check the gamut. For example, hsb(215.4 81% 96.9%) in HSB is hsl(215.4 92.6% 57.6%) in HSL.
This is a free HSB to HSL converter. Type or paste any hue, saturation and brightness into the field above and the HSL value updates as you type, along with every other notation the web understands. HSL is a cylindrical remapping of RGB into hue (0–360°), saturation (0–100%) and lightness (0–100%).
Conversions run entirely in your browser using the same color engine as the rest of the site: values round-trip through linear sRGB and CIE XYZ rather than through an approximation, so what you copy is accurate to the last digit the format can carry.
How to convert HSB to HSL
- Normalise the input. Read the HSB value and scale each component into the 0–1 range the maths expects.
- Convert HSB back to RGB. HSB is not the display's native model, so the first move is always back to red, green and blue.
- Find max, min and delta. Take the largest and smallest of the three channels. Their difference drives saturation; which one is largest determines the hue sector.
- Compute the components. Lightness is (max + min) / 2, saturation is delta scaled by how close lightness is to the middle, and hue comes from the dominant channel.
- Check the gamut. Clamp anything that falls outside what an sRGB display can show, so the value you copy is the value you get.
Worked example: hsb(215.4 81% 96.9%) converts to hsl(215.4 92.6% 57.6%). That color is Dodger Blue, and the tool above shows each intermediate step for whatever value you enter.
Common HSB to HSL values
The twenty colors people look up most often, converted from HSB to HSL. Every row is computed by the same engine as the tool above.
| Color | HSB | HSL |
|---|---|---|
| White | hsb(0 0% 100%) | hsl(0 0% 100%) |
| Black | hsb(0 0% 0%) | hsl(0 0% 0%) |
| Red | hsb(0 100% 100%) | hsl(0 100% 50%) |
| Lime | hsb(120 100% 100%) | hsl(120 100% 50%) |
| Blue | hsb(240 100% 100%) | hsl(240 100% 50%) |
| Yellow | hsb(60 100% 100%) | hsl(60 100% 50%) |
| Cyan | hsb(180 100% 100%) | hsl(180 100% 50%) |
| Magenta | hsb(300 100% 100%) | hsl(300 100% 50%) |
| Silver | hsb(0 0% 75.3%) | hsl(0 0% 75.3%) |
| Gray | hsb(0 0% 50.2%) | hsl(0 0% 50.2%) |
| Maroon | hsb(0 100% 50.2%) | hsl(0 100% 25.1%) |
| Olive | hsb(60 100% 50.2%) | hsl(60 100% 25.1%) |
| Green | hsb(120 100% 50.2%) | hsl(120 100% 25.1%) |
| Purple | hsb(300 100% 50.2%) | hsl(300 100% 25.1%) |
| Teal | hsb(180 100% 50.2%) | hsl(180 100% 25.1%) |
| Navy | hsb(240 100% 50.2%) | hsl(240 100% 25.1%) |
| Orange | hsb(38.8 100% 100%) | hsl(38.8 100% 50%) |
| Pink | hsb(349.5 24.7% 100%) | hsl(349.5 100% 87.6%) |
| Gold | hsb(50.6 100% 100%) | hsl(50.6 100% 50%) |
| Crimson | hsb(348 90.9% 86.3%) | hsl(348 83.3% 47.1%) |
HSB and HSL, briefly
HSB is hue, saturation and brightness — the model most native color pickers use internally, also written HSV. Valid range: H 0–360°, S and B 0–100%.
HSL is a cylindrical remapping of RGB into hue (0–360°), saturation (0–100%) and lightness (0–100%). Valid range: H 0–360°, S and L 0–100%.
Frequently asked questions
How do you convert HSB to HSL?
1. Read the HSB value and scale each component into the 0–1 range the maths expects. 2. HSB is not the display's native model, so the first move is always back to red, green and blue. 3. Take the largest and smallest of the three channels. Their difference drives saturation; which one is largest determines the hue sector. 4. Lightness is (max + min) / 2, saturation is delta scaled by how close lightness is to the middle, and hue comes from the dominant channel. 5. Clamp anything that falls outside what an sRGB display can show, so the value you copy is the value you get. The converter on this page does all of it as you type, and shows the working underneath.
What is hsb(0 100% 100%) in HSL?
Pure red, hsb(0 100% 100%), is hsl(0 100% 50%) in HSL. There is a table of twenty common colors converted to HSL further up this page.
What is hsb(215.4 81% 96.9%) in HSL?
hsb(215.4 81% 96.9%) converts to hsl(215.4 92.6% 57.6%). It is a dodger blue, and you can paste any other value into the field at the top of the page to convert it.
Is HSB to HSL conversion lossless?
Within sRGB, yes — converting to HSL and back returns the value you started with. The only rounding happens when a component is written out to a fixed number of decimal places.
Can I use HSL directly in CSS?
Yes. hsl(215.4 92.6% 57.6%) is valid CSS and works in every current browser.
Does this HSB to HSL converter support transparency?
Alpha is preserved wherever the target notation can carry it — eight-digit hex, rgb() / a, hsl() / a and the modern CSS spaces all round-trip an alpha channel. CMYK has no alpha, so it is dropped there.
Is my color data sent anywhere?
No. Every conversion on this site runs in your browser with no network request, no account and no analytics. You can disconnect and it keeps working.