diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Map/MapView.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Map/MapView.tsx
index 1ade9de..4c052c3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Map/MapView.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Map/MapView.tsx
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import { useTheme } from "@/hooks/useTheme";
 import { NotFound } from "../Layout/NotFound";
 import { ShortcutsOverlay } from "./ShortcutsOverlay";
 import type { MapNode, MapLink, ScaleBand, TrafficData } from "@/types";
+import { getScaleColor } from "@/utils/scaleColor";
 import { DEFAULT_NODE_WIDTH, DEFAULT_NODE_HEIGHT } from "@/types";
 
 const nodeTypes = {
@@ -257,77 +258,6 @@ function buildEdges(
   });
 }
 
-/**
- * Parse a CSS color string to [r, g, b].
- * Supports hex (#rrggbb, #rgb) and basic named colors.
- */
-function parseColor(color: string): [number, number, number] {
-  if (color.startsWith("#")) {
-    let hex = color.slice(1);
-    if (hex.length === 3) hex = hex[0]+hex[0]+hex[1]+hex[1]+hex[2]+hex[2];
-    return [parseInt(hex.slice(0,2),16), parseInt(hex.slice(2,4),16), parseInt(hex.slice(4,6),16)];
-  }
-  return [128, 128, 128]; // fallback gray
-}
-
-function rgbToHex(r: number, g: number, b: number): string {
-  return "#" + [r,g,b].map(v => Math.round(Math.min(255, Math.max(0, v))).toString(16).padStart(2,"0")).join("");
-}
-
-function lerpColor(c1: string, c2: string, t: number): string {
-  const [r1,g1,b1] = parseColor(c1);
-  const [r2,g2,b2] = parseColor(c2);
-  return rgbToHex(r1+(r2-r1)*t, g1+(g2-g1)*t, b1+(b2-b1)*t);
-}
-
-function getScaleColor(pct: number, scales: ScaleBand[], gradient = false): string {
-  if (!gradient) {
-    // Steps mode: half-open bands [min, max) so shared endpoints (10/50/90)
-    // resolve unambiguously to the upper band; the final band is inclusive so
-    // 100% still matches.
-    const sortedSteps = scales.toSorted((a, b) => a.min - b.min);
-    for (let i = 0; i < sortedSteps.length; i++) {
-      const band = sortedSteps[i];
-      const isLast = i === sortedSteps.length - 1;
-      if (pct >= band.min && (pct < band.max || (isLast && pct <= band.max))) {
-        return band.color;
-      }
-    }
-    return "hsl(220 10% 46%)";
-  }
-
-  // Gradient mode: interpolate between band colors based on pct
-  const sorted = scales.toSorted((a, b) => a.min - b.min);
-  if (sorted.length === 0) return "hsl(220 10% 46%)";
-
-  // Clamp pct
-  if (pct <= sorted[0].min) return sorted[0].color;
-  if (pct >= sorted[sorted.length - 1].max) return sorted[sorted.length - 1].color;
-
-  // Find which two bands we're between and interpolate
-  for (let i = 0; i < sorted.length; i++) {
-    const band = sorted[i];
-    if (pct >= band.min && pct <= band.max) {
-      // Within this band: if there's a next band, interpolate from this to next
-      const next = sorted[i + 1];
-      if (next && band.max === next.min) {
-        // Interpolate within the band range
-        const t = band.max > band.min ? (pct - band.min) / (band.max - band.min) : 0;
-        return lerpColor(band.color, next.color, t);
-      }
-      // Single band or last band: interpolate within band itself
-      if (i > 0) {
-        const prev = sorted[i - 1];
-        const fullRange = band.max - prev.min;
-        const t = fullRange > 0 ? (pct - prev.min) / fullRange : 0;
-        return lerpColor(prev.color, band.color, t);
-      }
-      return band.color;
-    }
-  }
-  return "hsl(220 10% 46%)";
-}
-
 export function formatBps(bps: number): string {
   if (bps >= 1e12) return `${(bps / 1e12).toFixed(1)}Tbps`;
   if (bps >= 1e9) return `${(bps / 1e9).toFixed(1)}Gbps`;
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Map/PublicMapView.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Map/PublicMapView.tsx
index c17a6bb..18d0c7a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Map/PublicMapView.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Map/PublicMapView.tsx
@@ -22,17 +22,11 @@ import { TrafficEdge } from "./NetworkLink";
 import { TrafficLegend } from "./TrafficLegend";
 import { NotFound } from "../Layout/NotFound";
 import type { NetmapData, MapNode, MapLink, ScaleBand, TrafficData } from "@/types";
+import { getScaleColor } from "@/utils/scaleColor";
 
 const nodeTypes = { network: NetworkNode, group: GroupNode, label: LabelNode };
 const edgeTypes = { traffic: TrafficEdge };
 
-function getScaleColor(pct: number, scales: ScaleBand[]): string {
-  for (const band of scales) {
-    if (pct >= band.min && pct <= band.max) return band.color;
-  }
-  return "hsl(220 10% 46%)";
-}
-
 function computeAnchor(
   fromX: number, fromY: number, fromW: number, fromH: number,
   toX: number, toY: number,
diff --git a/frontend/src/utils/scaleColor.ts b/frontend/src/utils/scaleColor.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a2c2009
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/utils/scaleColor.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import type { ScaleBand } from "@/types";
+
+/** Color used when the scale is empty/malformed and nothing can be resolved. */
+const NO_DATA_COLOR = "hsl(220 10% 46%)";
+
+/** Parse a CSS hex color (#rgb / #rrggbb) to [r, g, b]; non-hex falls back to grey. */
+function parseColor(color: string): [number, number, number] {
+  if (color.startsWith("#")) {
+    let hex = color.slice(1);
+    if (hex.length === 3) hex = hex[0] + hex[0] + hex[1] + hex[1] + hex[2] + hex[2];
+    return [parseInt(hex.slice(0, 2), 16), parseInt(hex.slice(2, 4), 16), parseInt(hex.slice(4, 6), 16)];
+  }
+  return [128, 128, 128];
+}
+
+function rgbToHex(r: number, g: number, b: number): string {
+  return (
+    "#" +
+    [r, g, b].map((v) => Math.round(Math.min(255, Math.max(0, v))).toString(16).padStart(2, "0")).join("")
+  );
+}
+
+function lerpColor(c1: string, c2: string, t: number): string {
+  const [r1, g1, b1] = parseColor(c1);
+  const [r2, g2, b2] = parseColor(c2);
+  return rgbToHex(r1 + (r2 - r1) * t, g1 + (g2 - g1) * t, b1 + (b2 - b1) * t);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Map a utilization percentage (0-100) to a scale color.
+ *
+ * Zero-width bands (min === max, e.g. the default "0%" #c0c0c0 marker) are
+ * excluded from color selection: they are legend markers, not colorable ranges.
+ * Excluding them means a low-but-active link whose utilization rounds down to
+ * 0.0% is colored by the first real band (blue) instead of washing out to the
+ * grey "0%" marker — the "everything is grey on low-bandwidth links" regression.
+ *
+ * Shared by MapView (private) and PublicMapView so both views color identically.
+ */
+export function getScaleColor(pct: number, scales: ScaleBand[], gradient = false): string {
+  const bands = scales.filter((b) => b.max > b.min).sort((a, b) => a.min - b.min);
+  if (bands.length === 0) return NO_DATA_COLOR;
+
+  if (!gradient) {
+    // Steps mode: half-open [min, max); final band inclusive so 100% still matches.
+    for (let i = 0; i < bands.length; i++) {
+      const band = bands[i];
+      const isLast = i === bands.length - 1;
+      if (pct >= band.min && (pct < band.max || (isLast && pct <= band.max))) {
+        return band.color;
+      }
+    }
+    // Out of range: clamp to the nearest end rather than returning the grey fallback.
+    return pct < bands[0].min ? bands[0].color : bands[bands.length - 1].color;
+  }
+
+  // Gradient mode: interpolate between adjacent band colors.
+  if (pct <= bands[0].min) return bands[0].color;
+  if (pct >= bands[bands.length - 1].max) return bands[bands.length - 1].color;
+  for (let i = 0; i < bands.length; i++) {
+    const band = bands[i];
+    if (pct >= band.min && pct <= band.max) {
+      const next = bands[i + 1];
+      if (next && band.max === next.min) {
+        const t = band.max > band.min ? (pct - band.min) / (band.max - band.min) : 0;
+        return lerpColor(band.color, next.color, t);
+      }
+      if (i > 0) {
+        const prev = bands[i - 1];
+        const fullRange = band.max - prev.min;
+        const t = fullRange > 0 ? (pct - prev.min) / fullRange : 0;
+        return lerpColor(prev.color, band.color, t);
+      }
+      return band.color;
+    }
+  }
+  return NO_DATA_COLOR;
+}