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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’s 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’s 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)
#FF0000 Red A primary colour seen in light, pigment, and tradition worldwideBasic colour · 🇺🇸 United States +5 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature · 🇪🇸 Spain +5 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 #E25822 Scarlet A bright red with a touch of orange, long tied to power, sacrifice and sinNamed shade · 🇹🇷 Turkey +4 Red Carmine A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment · 🇫🇷 France +2 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5 Red Rubia A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #DC143C Crimson A deep red with a hint of purple, once made from insectsNamed shade · 🇳🇵 Nepal #E32636 Alizarin A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye · 🇹🇷 Turkey +1 #800000 Maroon A deep brownish red named for the French word for chestnutNamed shade · 🇦🇺 Australia +4 Red Sindoorसिन्दूर A red or orange-red powder marking marriage for Hindu women in South AsiaTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India +4 #801818 Falu redfalu rödfärg A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment · 🇸🇪 Sweden +2 #800020 Burgundy A purplish dark red named after the wine region in FranceNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France Red Hennaحِنَّاء A reddish dye from the henna plant, used for body art and hair since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #B7410E Rust A deep reddish-orange named after the colour of oxidised ironNamed shade #C41E3A Cardinal A strong, deep red linked to church robes and team coloursNamed shade Red Kermes A deep red dye made from Mediterranean scale insects, once prized for scarlet clothDye · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Kumkum A red powder made from turmeric and lime, used for forehead marks in IndiaDye · 🇮🇳 India Red Brazilin A red dye from brazilwood and sappanwood, used in textiles and paints since the Middle AgesDye · 🇧🇷 Brazil +4 Red Lacलाक्षा A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5 #660000 Blood red A deep, dark red inspired by the colour of human bloodNamed shade #FF3800 Coquelicot A vivid reddish-orange named after the wild corn poppy flowerNamed shade #4A0000 Oxblood A deep, brownish red seen in ceramics, shoes and fashionNamed shade #E32636 Rose madder A traditional red pigment made from the roots of the madder plantPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Abir A coloured powder used in Hindu rituals and the Holi festivalTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India Red Sang de boeuf glaze郎窑红 A deep red porcelain glaze first made in early 18th-century ChinaNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China +1 #D40000 Rosso corsa The deep red that marks Italian racing cars and teamsNational or team colour · 🇮🇹 Italy #A91101 Turkey red A lasting bright red dye for cotton, made from madder root by a complex processNamed shade · 🇹🇷 Turkey +4 #CE2029 Fire engine red A bright red shade long used on fire engines and emergency vehiclesNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +1 #FA5053 Strawberry A bright red colour inspired by the ripe strawberry fruitNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +4 #8C1515 Stanford Cardinal Red A deep red colour used by Stanford University in its identity and sportsNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States #800000 Eye color The natural colour of the iris, ranging from brown and blue to green and hazelColour named from nature Red Iron(III) oxide A deep red iron compound found in hematite and used as pigment and polishPigment Red Red hair A rare human hair colour ranging from deep burgundy to strawberry blondNamed shade · 🇮🇪 Ireland +3 Red Lead(II,IV) oxide A strong red-orange pigment once widely used to protect iron and in illuminated manuscriptsPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia Red Dragon's blood A deep red resin from several plants, used as pigment, dye and varnish since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +3 #722F37 Wine A deep, dark red-brown named for the colour of red wineNamed shade #960018 Carmine A deep red shade, close to pure red and seen in dried blood and rubiesNamed shade · 🇱🇻 Latvia +1 #E52B50 Amaranth A reddish-rose colour named after the flower of the amaranth plantNamed shade Red Blood rain Rain that appears red, often caused by dust or microalgae in the waterColour named from nature · 🇮🇹 Italy +5 Red Azo dye A large group of synthetic dyes with vivid reds, oranges, and yellowsDye Red Betalain Red and yellow plant pigments found in beets, bougainvillea, and cactiPigment Red Polish cochinealczerwiec polski A crimson dye once vital to Poland, made from a native scale insectDye · 🇵🇱 Poland +5 #E30B5D Raspberry A bright, vivid red named after the fruitNamed shade #CB410B Sinopia A reddish-brown earth pigment once prized for fresco underdrawingsPigment · 🇮🇹 Italy Red Minium A rare scarlet to brownish red mineral form of lead oxideColour named from nature Red Cinquasia red A deep red pigment from the quinacridone family, valued for its durabilityPigment #C80815 Venetian red A warm, earthy red pigment once prized by Renaissance paintersPigment
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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.