🔺 Triadic Color Scheme Generator
Enter a base color and get its triadic scheme, three vibrant, evenly balanced hues 120° apart, with copyable codes.
Triadic
Exact hue rotations on the color wheel, with HEX, HSL and OKLCH codes. 🔒 Computed in your browser.
How the triadic color scheme generator works
A triadic scheme takes three hues spaced 120° apart on the wheel (base, base+120°, base+240°), keeping saturation and lightness. Because 3 × 120° = 360°, the three hues divide the wheel into equal thirds, an equilateral triangle inscribed in the color circle, which is what makes the set feel balanced rather than lopsided. Angles that exceed 360° wrap around (base 300° + 120° = 60°). The tool computes the two partner hues exactly and shows all three with HEX, HSL and OKLCH.
Triadic schemes are vibrant yet balanced because the three hues are equidistant. A common approach is to let one dominate and use the other two as accents.
Frequently asked questions
What is a triadic color scheme?
Three colors evenly spaced around the color wheel, 120° apart. It is balanced and vivid, think red, yellow, blue, and works well with one dominant color and two accents.
How do I make a triadic palette?
Take your base hue and add 120° and 240°. Enter a color and the tool returns the exact three-color set in HEX, HSL and OKLCH.
Worked example: the triad of a hue-0 red?
From hue 0° (red), adding 120° gives hue 120° (green) and adding 240° gives hue 240° (blue), the classic red/green/blue triad, all at the base saturation and lightness. Shift the base hue and the whole triangle rotates with it.
When should I use triadic over analogous?
Use triadic when you want contrast and energy with balance; use analogous (neighbouring hues) when you want a calmer, more unified look.
How do I keep a triad from looking garish?
Let one color lead and mute the other two (lower saturation or adjust lightness). The OKLCH codes make even lightness adjustments easy.
What is the difference between a triadic and a tetradic scheme?
A triad uses three hues 120° apart (an equilateral triangle on the wheel); a tetrad uses four. Because a triad has one fewer color, it is easier to balance and less likely to feel busy. Reach for a tetrad when you need two complementary pairs; stay with a triad for a simpler, punchy palette.
Which of the three triad colors should be the accent?
A common rule is the 60-30-10 split: about 60% of the design in one dominant color, 30% in the second, and 10% in the third as the accent, often the most saturated of the three. Using all three at equal strength is what makes a triad look garish, so let one lead.
Is my color private?
Yes, everything is computed in your browser.