Colour news
FestivalsPhotos 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 SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For SaleCraft and textilesBalenciaga Spring/Summer2027 Runway Dips Into ColourFestivalsPhotos 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 SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For SaleCraft and textilesBalenciaga Spring/Summer2027 Runway Dips Into Colour
Rang

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)
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 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚫 Spain +5 Brown Terracotta A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +4 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +2 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment 路 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey +5 Black India ink A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +1 Black Carbon black A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +4 #0047AB Cobalt blue A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3 #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment 路 馃嚞馃嚪 Greece +1 #801818 Falu redfalu r枚df盲rg A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment 路 馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden +2 #8A3324 Umber A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚲 Cyprus +2 #007BA7 Cerulean A blue-green colour once made from cobalt stannate and linked with the skyNamed shade 路 馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom #E97451 Sienna A reddish-brown earth pigment named after the city of Siena in ItalyPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #40826D Viridian A blue-green pigment made from hydrated chromium oxide, valued in painting since the 1800sPigment #FFA700 Chrome yellow A bright yellow pigment made from lead chromate, once popular in art and industryPigment #006B3C Cadmium pigments A family of strong yellow, orange, red and green pigments made from cadmium compoundsPigment #FDF8FF Zinc white A cool, low-toxicity white pigment made from zinc oxidePigment #FFFEEF Titanium white A bright white pigment made from titanium dioxide, valued for its strong coveragePigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 White Lead white A dense, opaque white pigment once used in art, home, and cosmetics worldwidePigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +2 Grey Hematite A mineral iron oxide, black to red, used since prehistory as a pigment and oreColour named from nature 路 馃嚳馃嚘 South Africa +5 Black Magnetite A naturally magnetic black mineral and a major source of ironColour named from nature #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 White Barium sulfate A dense, white mineral used in pigments, X-rays, and industryPigment Brown Goethite A yellowish to reddish brown mineral used as a pigment since ancient timesPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +3 Brown Iron oxide Earthy pigments made from iron and oxygen, found in nature and used since prehistoryPigment Red Iron(III) oxide A deep red iron compound found in hematite and used as pigment and polishPigment Blue Lazurite A deep blue mineral that gives lapis lazuli its colourColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +2 Black Manganese dioxide A black-brown mineral oxide used in batteries, pigments, and chemical reactionsPigment Black Iron(II) oxide A black iron compound used as a pigment and found deep in the EarthPigment Red Lead(II,IV) oxide A strong red-orange pigment once widely used to protect iron and in illuminated manuscriptsPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia White Antimony trioxide A white antimony compound used in flame retardants and glassmakingPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +4 Green Chromium(III) oxide A strong green pigment and polishing compound made from chromium orePigment White White lead A historic opaque white pigment once made from lead and vinegarPigment Green Glauconite A soft green mineral used as a pigment and in fertilisersColour named from nature 路 馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil +2 Yellow Cadmium sulfide A bright yellow pigment and semiconductor compound made from cadmium and sulfurPigment White Lithopone A white pigment made from barium sulfate and zinc sulfidePigment #020D15 Gunmetal A dark copper alloy once used for casting guns and now valued for its strength and finishNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States White Barium metaborate A white or clear inorganic compound used in optics and as a pigmentPigment #CB410B Sinopia A reddish-brown earth pigment once prized for fresco underdrawingsPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy Red Minium A rare scarlet to brownish red mineral form of lead oxideColour named from nature
More colours

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.