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)
#FF00FF Magenta A purplish-pink colour named after a battle and key to modern printingNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 Brown Aniline A colourless oil that darkens with air and launched the first synthetic dyesPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany 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 Yellow Tartrazine A synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in food, cosmetics and medicinesDye #E32636 Alizarin A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye 路 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey +1 Black Vantablack A super-black coating made from carbon nanotubes that absorbs nearly all visible lightPigment Purple and violet Crystal violet A synthetic purple dye used in science, medicine, and industryDye Green Malachite green A synthetic green dye once common for silk, now controversial in aquacultureDye 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +3 Pink and magenta Basic fuchsine A magenta dye used in biology and textile staining since the 19th centuryPigment #E0B0FF Mauve A pale purple named after the mallow flower and once a fashion sensationNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France #1034A6 Egyptian blue A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Purple and violet Mauveine A purple dye first made by accident in 1856, launching the synthetic dye industryDye #FADA5E Naples yellow A historic synthetic yellow pigment once prized by painters and pottersPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +1 #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 #FFD800 School bus yellow A yellow made for North American school buses to stand out and be seenNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 #2E5090 YInMn Blue A modern, stable blue pigment made from yttrium, indium and manganese oxidesPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 Blue Han purple and Han blue Ancient synthetic pigments of blue and purple, first made in early ChinaPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China White Titanium dioxide A brilliant white pigment made from titanium, used in paints, food and sunscreenPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 #E32600 Methyl orange An orange-red azo dye used as a pH indicator in chemistryDye White Zinc phosphate A white inorganic compound used to protect metal and in dental cementPigment Yellow Calcium chromate A bright yellow, highly toxic pigment and industrial chemicalPigment Red Azo dye A large group of synthetic dyes with vivid reds, oranges, and yellowsDye #1C05B3 Trypan blue A synthetic blue azo dye used to stain dead cells in science and medicineDye Purple and violet Cobalt(II) phosphate A violet pigment and chemical compound used as cobalt violet in artPigment Yellow Strontium chromate A yellow pigment and corrosion inhibitor made from strontium and chromium compoundsPigment #000F89 Phthalo blue A strong, synthetic blue pigment made from copper phthalocyaninePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 Red Cinquasia red A deep red pigment from the quinacridone family, valued for its durabilityPigment #E73501 Chrome orange A yellowish to deep orange pigment once prized by 19th-century paintersPigment Green Cobalt green A green pigment made by adding cobalt to other oxidesPigment Yellow Bismuth vanadate A strong yellow pigment made from bismuth and vanadium oxidesPigment Brown Haematin A dark bluish or brownish iron pigment formed by oxidising haemPigment Purple and violet Manganese violet A synthetic purple pigment once favoured by Impressionist paintersPigment #FDEE00 Aureolin A transparent yellow pigment made from potassium cobaltinitritePigment #123524 Phthalo green A synthetic green pigment made from copper and chlorinated phthalocyaninePigment #E9D66B Arylide yellow A family of semi-transparent yellow pigments used in art and industryPigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 Blue Indigoidine A blue pigment made by certain bacteria and studied for its unique colourPigment Orange Perinone A group of organic pigments with orange and red isomersPigment Red Naphthol Red A synthetic red pigment widely used in car paints and art materialsPigment Red Cerium(III) sulfide red A bright red pigment made from a rare earth sulfide compoundPigment Red Alizarin Red S A synthetic red dye used to reveal calcium and minerals in scienceDye #EEE600 Titanium yellow A strong yellow pigment made from titanium, nickel, and antimony oxidesPigment Yellow Pigment Yellow 13 A synthetic yellow pigment from the diarylide family used in printing inksPigment Yellow Chrysophenine A golden-yellow direct dye for textiles and biological stainsDye Yellow Pigment Yellow 154 A synthetic yellow pigment valued for its high light and weather resistancePigment Red Pigment Red 3 A dark red azo pigment once common in oil paintsPigment Yellow Pigment Yellow 74 A yellow-green azo pigment used in inks, paints, and tattoo coloursPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy Yellow Pigment Yellow 83 A reddish-yellow diarylide pigment used in inks and plasticsPigment
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.