Umber
A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in art
Umber is a brown earth pigment made from clay rich in iron and manganese oxides. Its colour ranges from yellow-brown to reddish or greenish brown, and it has been used since ancient times in painting and ceramics. The name may come from either the Italian region of Umbria or the Latin for "shadow", reflecting its use in creating shaded effects. Umber is mainly sourced from Cyprus today.
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- Umber is one of the oldest pigments known to humans
- Its colour ranges from yellow-brown to reddish or greenish brown
- Mainly sourced from Cyprus today
- Used in famous works like the Mona Lisa
- Heating raw umber creates burnt umber, a deeper shade
What colour is Umber?
Umber is a natural pigment with a brown appearance that can lean towards yellow, red, or green depending on the mix of minerals in the clay. It is known for its earthy warmth and is often used to create shadow and depth in paintings. The pigment is opaque, stable, and covers surfaces well, making it a favourite among artists for both oil painting and ceramics. Its colour can be adjusted by heating, which produces a darker, redder form called burnt umber.
Where does Umber come from?
The name umber may come from the Italian region of Umbria, where it was once believed to be sourced, or from the Latin word for shadow, 'umbra', which fits its use in painting shaded areas. Umber is one of the oldest pigments, with related earth colours found in prehistoric cave art in Spain and France. Its use grew in Europe during the Renaissance, when artists valued its earthy look and reliability.
How is Umber made?
Umber is dug from the earth, either from open pits or underground mines, and is then ground into a fine powder. The powder is washed to remove unwanted materials. The raw pigment is used as is, or it can be heated to produce burnt umber, which has a deeper, redder tone. The main source today is Cyprus.
Where Umber is used
Artists have used umber for centuries, especially in oil painting, to create natural skin tones, shadows, and backgrounds. It became a staple in European painting from the Renaissance onward and was especially popular for underpainting and for the dramatic light and dark contrasts of the Baroque period. Ceramics makers also use raw umber for its earthy colour and low cost.
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 Umber
Raw umber is the unheated form, showing a yellowish or greenish brown. Burnt umber, made by heating, appears darker and more reddish. Umber is sometimes confused with other earth pigments like ochre, but it contains more manganese, giving it a cooler tone. Synthetic versions have replaced much natural umber in modern paints.
Colours that go with Umber
Harmonies are worked out from the value #8A3324. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Umber
What colour is umber?
Umber is a natural brown pigment that can appear yellowish, reddish, or greenish depending on its mineral content. It is known for its warm, earthy tone.
Where does the name 'umber' come from?
The name may come from the Italian region Umbria, or from the Latin word 'umbra', meaning shadow. Both origins are discussed in historical sources.
How is umber made?
Umber is mined from clay deposits rich in iron and manganese oxides, then ground and washed. Heating the pigment produces burnt umber, which is darker and redder.
What is umber used for?
Umber is used in painting, especially for shadows and underpainting, and in ceramics for its earthy colour. It has been a standard pigment in European art since the Renaissance.
What are the main sources of umber today?
Cyprus is the main source of natural umber pigment in modern times.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Umber", 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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