Copper
A reddish brown shade named for the metal it matches
Copper is a colour that looks like the metal of the same name, with a mix of red and brown. Its name was first used for a colour in English in 1594, and it is known for its metallic warmth and presence in nature and culture.
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- Named after the metal copper
- First used as a colour name in English in 1594
- Copper red and copper rose are related shades
- Pale copper and copper penny are crayon colours
What colour is Copper?
Copper is a colour that sits between red and brown, taking its look from the metal found in nature. It has a warm, metallic feel, and is often seen as a rich, earthy shade. The colour stands out for its link to the metal, which is known for its shine and reddish tone.
Where does Copper come from?
The name 'copper' for this colour comes from its close match to the metal copper. The word was first used to describe a colour in English in 1594. The metal itself has been valued for centuries, and its distinct hue led to its use as a colour name.
Brown around the world
What the brown family means from country to country.
Brown is the colour of Nazism in German political speech, after the brown shirts of the party's stormtroopers. To call a view "brown" is to call it far right.
Politics and protestDanger and warningShameSource: SturmabteilungMasi is bark cloth beaten from paper mulberry and printed in brown and black. It is worn at weddings and funerals and given in ceremonial exchanges.
Sacred and holyWeddings and marriageSource: Tapa clothKuntunkuni is a dark brown mourning cloth of the Asante, dyed with tree bark. Adinkra cloth, stamped with symbols, was first made on such dark grounds for funerals.
Mourning and deathSadnessSource: Adinkra symbolsThe batik of the Javanese courts at Yogyakarta and Surakarta is dyed in soga brown with indigo and cream. Some court patterns were once reserved for the royal family.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: BatikBogolanfini, or mud cloth, is cotton painted with fermented river mud in browns, black and white. Hunters wear it for protection, and women after childbirth.
Protection and healingSacred and holySource: B貌g貌lanfiniShades and relatives of Copper
There are several shades related to copper. Pale copper appears in Crayola crayons, first made in 1903. Copper red is a deeper version, with its name first used in 1590. Copper penny is a metallic crayon shade from 1990, and copper rose is a softer tone, first named in 1928.
Colours that go with Copper
Harmonies are worked out from the value #B87333. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Copper
What colour is copper?
Copper is a reddish brown shade that looks like the metal copper, with a warm, earthy tone.
Where does the name 'copper' come from?
The name comes from the metal copper, which has a similar reddish brown colour.
When was copper first used as a colour name?
Copper was first recorded as a colour name in English in 1594.
Are there other shades related to copper?
Yes, shades like copper red, copper rose, pale copper, and copper penny are all related.
Good reading and sources
- Copper (color) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Copper (color)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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