Colour news
Pigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game SetPigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game Set
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All colours

698 colours written up so far, best known first, and 1,292 named values in the swatch book. 90 more are on the list to be written.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
#0000FF Blue A primary colour seen in the sky and sea, used since ancient times in art and dyeBasic colour Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +5 #6A5DFF Indigo A deep blue named for the dye once exported from IndiaNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 Blue Woad A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3 Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Blue Methylene blue A synthetic blue dye and medicine first made in 1876Dye #003153 Prussian blue A deep blue pigment first made in Berlin in the early 1700sPigment 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +2 #007FFF Azure A clear sky blue, halfway between blue and cyan on the colour wheelNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy +2 #87CEEB Sky blue A light blue named for the colour of a clear daytime skyNamed shade 路 馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina +5 Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye 路 馃嚨馃嚟 Philippines #0047AB Cobalt blue A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3 #000080 Navy blue A deep blue shade named for the uniforms of the Royal NavyNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 #1034A6 Egyptian blue A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 #007BA7 Cerulean A blue-green colour once made from cobalt stannate and linked with the skyNamed shade 路 馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom #002366 Royal blue A strong, deep blue linked with royalty and national flagsNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 #191970 Midnight blue A deep blue that recalls the sky late at night under moonlightNamed shade #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +1 #1C39BB Persian blue A vivid blue inspired by Persian tiles and lapis lazuliNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran +1 #7DF9FF Electric blue A bright blue named for the glow of electrical discharges and lightningNamed shade Blue Tekhelet转职旨讻值诇侄转 A blue dye from sea snails, central to ancient Jewish ritual and traditionDye 路 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel +2 #0033CC International Klein Blue A deep blue made famous by Yves Klein's art and a special synthetic binderNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France #89CFF0 Baby blue A soft pastel blue first named in English in 1892Named shade 路 馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina #B0E0E6 Powder blue A pale blue once made from powdered cobalt glass, now a standard paint and web colourNamed shade #318CE7 Bleu de France A vivid blue long linked with France and its national identityNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France #2E5090 YInMn Blue A modern, stable blue pigment made from yttrium, indium and manganese oxidesPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 Blue Bleu celeste A pale blue used as a rare heraldic colour, lighter than traditional azureNamed shade #6699CC Blue-gray A cool-toned mix of blue and grey seen in nature, art, and uniformsNamed shade #4682B4 Steel blue A subdued blue-grey shade named for the colour of blued steelNamed shade #4B61D1 Savoy blueblu Savoia A bright blue between peacock blue and periwinkle, a symbol of Italy since the Middle AgesNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy #6050DC Majorelle Blue A vivid deep blue named for artist Jacques Majorelle and his Marrakesh gardenNamed shade 路 馃嚥馃嚘 Morocco Blue Han purple and Han blue Ancient synthetic pigments of blue and purple, first made in early ChinaPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China #86A1A9 Tourmaline喽о窛喽秽陡喽洁穵喽洁窉 A mineral group prized for its rainbow of gemstone coloursColour named from nature 路 馃嚤馃嚢 Sri Lanka +5 #3E8EDE Tufts Blue A clear blue used as the official colour of Tufts UniversityNational or team colour 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Blue Lazurite A deep blue mineral that gives lapis lazuli its colourColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +2 #189BCC Blue (Weezer Blue Album cover) The solid blue background from Weezer鈥檚 1994 debut album coverNamed shade #6495ED Cornflower blue A clear, medium-light blue named for the cornflower and prized in sapphiresNamed shade #1C05B3 Trypan blue A synthetic blue azo dye used to stain dead cells in science and medicineDye Blue Color of water The natural blue-cyan tint seen in pure water and large bodies like lakes and oceansColour named from nature Blue Vair A blue and white heraldic fur pattern based on squirrel peltsHeraldic colour #ADD8E6 Light blue A pale blue shade found between blue and cyan, seen in flags and daily life worldwideNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 #6082B6 Glaucous A pale blue-grey colour seen on some plants and birdsNamed shade #000F89 Phthalo blue A strong, synthetic blue pigment made from copper phthalocyaninePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 #F0F8FF Alice blue A pale blue shade named for Alice Roosevelt, once a fashion trend in the USNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States #2D68C4 UCLA Blue A clear blue shade worn by UCLA's teams and tied to the Pacific coastNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States #0014A8 Zaffre A deep blue pigment once made by roasting cobalt orePigment #5D8AA8 Air Force blue A medium blue-green shade linked to air force uniforms and flagsNamed shade 路 馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom +3
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.