# Color Token Cascade Generator Turn one primary hex color into a full design-token cascade with primary, accent, neutral, semantic tokens, CSS variables, and Style Dictionary JSON > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/color-token-cascade-generator - **Category:** Design - **Keywords:** design token, color scale, style dictionary, css variables, palette ## Overview Paste a primary hex color and the generator will derive a design-token system that feels ready for a UI kit or design system handoff. How to use it: - Primary Hex: the brand or core interface color - Accent Strategy: choose how the supporting accent hue is derived - Include Neutral Scale: add grayscale-like tokens for text, surfaces, and borders What it outputs: - primary-50 through primary-900 - accent-50 through accent-900 - optional neutral-50 through neutral-900 - semantic tokens such as primary, text-muted, bg-canvas, and border-subtle - CSS variables and Style Dictionary JSON ## Inputs - **Primary Hex** (text): #3b82f6 - **Accent Strategy** (select) - **Include Neutral Scale** (checkbox) ## When to use - When building a new design system and needing a consistent color ladder from a single brand color. - When developers need to quickly generate CSS variables or Style Dictionary JSON for a UI kit. - When creating accessible semantic tokens like text-muted or bg-canvas based on a primary brand identity. ## How it works - Enter a primary hex code to serve as the foundation for your brand's color system. - Select an accent strategy, such as complementary or analogous, to automatically generate supporting hues. - Toggle the neutral scale option to include grayscale-like tokens for surfaces, borders, and typography. - Export the resulting scales and semantic tokens as CSS variables or Style Dictionary JSON for immediate implementation. ## Use cases - Generating a full color palette for a SaaS dashboard from a single brand blue. - Creating a Style Dictionary JSON file for cross-platform design token management. - Rapidly prototyping a UI kit with consistent semantic naming conventions for borders and backgrounds. ## Frequently asked questions ### What export formats are supported? The tool generates CSS variables and Style Dictionary JSON for design system integration. ### Can I generate neutral colors? Yes, by enabling the 'Include Neutral Scale' option, the tool creates a grayscale-like ladder for UI elements. ### What is an accent strategy? It determines how supporting colors are derived from your primary hex, using methods like complementary or analogous logic. ### Does it generate semantic tokens? Yes, it outputs tokens like text-muted, bg-canvas, and border-subtle based on the generated scales. ### What color ranges are produced? It generates a full ladder from 50 to 900 for primary, accent, and neutral scales. ## Related tools - [Image Palette to Design Tokens](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/image-to-design-tokens): Extract a dominant color palette from an image (k-means clustering), then export it as CSS variables, SCSS variables, a Tailwind config, or JSON design tokens — with named colors and an auto-generated shade scale for each - [Org Chart Maker](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/org-chart-maker): Render hierarchical JSON into a vertical organizational chart with names and titles - [Grayscale Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/color-grayscale-converter): Convert colors to grayscale with multiple conversion methods and intensity control - [Data URI Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/data-uri-generator): Convert files into Data URIs (Base64 or percent-encoded) for inlining images, fonts, and assets directly into HTML, CSS, or Markdown - [ECharts Theme Token Extractor](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/echarts-theme-token-extractor): Extract design tokens — colors, numbers, font sizes and strings — from an ECharts theme JSON and export them straight into your design system. Paste a theme object (the kind registered via echarts.init(dom, themeName)) and the tool walks every leaf, tagging each color (with optional named/rgb → hex normalization), spacing number, font size and string, then emits clean CSS variables, a Tailwind theme.extend config, Style Dictionary tokens.json, or SCSS variables. Bridges the gap between an ECharts visualization theme and Figma/CSS/Tailwind design tokens without copying each value by hand. - [Figma Tokens Export](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/figma-tokens-export): Paste a Figma / Tokens Studio variables JSON and export to Tailwind, shadcn CSS variables, Style Dictionary, or SCSS. 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