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’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 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’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 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

Brown

Earth itself: umber, sienna, sepia, khaki and the browns of wood, hide and soil. 81 colours written up on Rang so far.

How brown feels

Colour and emotion
DisgustBrown, Green, YellowNostalgiaBrown, Gold, Orange

What brown means, country by country

5 countries. The same colour, read differently.

🇩🇪 Germany

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: Sturmabteilung
🇫🇯 Fiji

Masi 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 cloth
🇬🇭 Ghana

Kuntunkuni 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 symbols
🇮🇩 Indonesia

The 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: Batik
🇲🇱 Mali

Bogolanfini, 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: Bògòlanfini

Brown in the swatch book

122 named values.

Open the swatch book
Antique brass#C88A65Antique bronze#665D1EBistre#3D2B1FBeaver#9F8170Blast-off bronze#A57164Blood red#660000Brown#964B00Brown sugar#AF6E4DCamel#C19A6BCafé noir#4B3621Café au lait#A67B5BChocolate (traditional)#7B3F00Coffee#6F4E37Copper red#CB6D51Coyote brown#81613CDark brown#654321Dark goldenrod#B8860BDark lava#483C32Dark liver (horses)#543D37Dark sienna#3C1414Desert#C19A6BFallow#C19A6BField drab#6C541EFrench beige#A67B5BFrench bistre#856D4DFuzzy Wuzzy#87421FGold Fusion#85754EGolden brown#996515Kobicha#6B4423Kobe#882D17Liver chestnut#987456Mahogany#C04000Metallic Sunburst#9C7C38Mode beige#967117Old burgundy#43302EOlive#808000Oxblood#4A0000Raw umber#826644Sandy brown#F4A460Rosewood#65000BRusset#80461BRust#B7410ESaddle brown#8B4513Seal brown#59260BSepia#704214Shadow#8A795DSienna#882D17Taupe#483C32Tenné#CD5700Umber#635147Van Dyke brown#664228Wood brown#C19A6BWindsor tan#A75502Xumo#413639Zinnwaldite brown#2C1608Liver (organ)#6C2E1FKurotobi黒鳶#351E1CKaracha唐茶#B35C44Sōdenkaracha宗傳唐茶#9B533FSuzumecha雀茶#8C4736Tobi-iro鳶色#4C221BKurumizome胡桃染#9F7462Kōrozen黄櫨染#592B1FKogecha焦茶#351F19Taisha-iro代赭色#9F5233Sencha-iro煎茶色#824B35Chōjicha丁子茶#8F583CBiwacha枇杷茶#AB6134Chōjizome丁子染#A96232Kitsune-iro狐色#985629Fushizome柴染#8C5939Kyara-iro伽羅色#6A432DSusutake-iro煤竹色#593A27Shiracha白茶#C48E69Ōdo-iro黄土色#BE7F51Kinsusutake銀煤竹#7D4E2DKobicha媚茶#6B4423Namakabe-iro生壁色#785E49Kitsurubami黄橡#BB8141Rikyūcha利休茶#826B58Higosusutake肥後煤竹#7F5D3BRokōcha路考茶#665343Mirucha海松茶#4C3D30Nataneyu-iro菜種油色#A17917Kimirucha黄海松茶#896C39Uguisucha鶯茶#5C4827Aokuchiba青朽葉#AA8736Hiwacha鶸茶#957B38Uguisu-iro鶯色#645530Yanagicha柳茶#9C8A4DRikancha璃寛茶#534A32Aikobicha藍媚茶#473F2DMiru-iro海松色#524B2ASensaicha千歳茶#3B3429Baikōcha梅幸茶#857C55Iwaicha岩井茶#5E5545Yanagisusutake柳煤竹#4D4B3AYanaginezumi柳鼠#817B69Pullman Brown (UPS Brown)#644117Sand dune#967117Nisemurasaki似せ紫#43242ABenikeshinezumi紅消鼠#44312EGinnezumi銀鼠#97867CSunezumi素鼠#6E5F57darkgoldenrod#B8860BSpanish bistre#807532Binrōjizome檳榔子染#352925olive#808000saddlebrown#8B4513sienna#A0522DTuscan brown#6F4E37Tuscan tan#A67B5BBistre brown#967117Tenné#C67000Olive Drab #7#3C341FRikyūshiracha利休白茶#B0927AAku-iro灰汁色#7F6B5DMummy brown#824B27Auburn hair#A52A2APantone 448 C#4A412A
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Brown Terracotta A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +4 Brown Aniline A colourless oil that darkens with air and launched the first synthetic dyesPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany #C3B091 Khaki A light tan with a yellowish tinge, once made for military uniformsNamed shade · 🇮🇳 India +2 #F5F5DC Beige A pale, warm colour named after natural, undyed woolNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +2 #704214 Sepia A reddish-brown colour named for the ink of the cuttlefishNamed shade #8A3324 Umber A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment · 🇨🇾 Cyprus +2 #3D2B1F Bistre A dark brown pigment and colour made from soot, once used in Old Master drawingsPigment #E97451 Sienna A reddish-brown earth pigment named after the city of Siena in ItalyPigment · 🇫🇷 France #B87333 Copper A reddish brown shade named for the metal it matchesNamed shade Brown Catechu A brown plant extract used as a dye, tannin, and preservativeColour named from nature · 🇯🇵 Japan +2 #483C32 Taupe A grey-brown shade named after the colour of a mole’s furNamed shade #4A412A Pantone 448 C A dull brown shade chosen to discourage smoking by making packaging unattractiveStandard colour · 🇦🇺 Australia +5 #824B27 Mummy brown A transparent brown pigment once made from ground Egyptian mummiesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt #664228 Van Dyck brown A deep, earthy brown once made from German peat and soilPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany Brown Drab A dull light brown named after undyed homespun wool clothNamed shade Brown Goethite A yellowish to reddish brown mineral used as a pigment since ancient timesPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +3 Brown Iron oxide Earthy pigments made from iron and oxygen, found in nature and used since prehistoryPigment Brown Brown hair A natural human hair colour ranging from light to very dark brownColour named from nature #2C1608 Zinnwaldite A grey-brown mica mineral named after Zinnwald on the German–Czech borderColour named from nature · 🇨🇿 Czech Republic Brown Chestnut A reddish-brown horse coat with no black hairs, seen in nearly all breedsNamed shade Brown Pinto horse A horse coat with large patches of white and another colourNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +2 #954535 Chestnut A medium reddish brown named after the nut of the chestnut treeNamed shade Brown Juglone A plant compound that gives deep brown-orange colour to cloth, ink and foodPigment #D2B48C Tan A light brown shade named after oak bark used in leather tanningNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +1 #665D1E Bronze A metallic brown shade named after the bronze alloyNamed shade #7B3F00 Chocolate A deep brown shade that matches the look of milk chocolateNamed shade Brown Buckskin A tan or gold horse coat with black mane, tail and legsNamed shade #80461B Russet A dark brown with a reddish-orange tinge, once the colour of coarse English clothNamed shade Brown Brindle A striped coat pattern found in dogs, cattle, cats, guinea pigs and rare horsesColour named from nature Brown Olive skin A human skin tone with greenish, yellowish, or golden undertonesNamed shade #C04000 Mahogany A reddish-brown named after mahogany wood, first recorded as a colour in 1737Named shade #674C47 Liver A dark brown shade seen in animal coats and named after the organNamed shade #CD5700 Tawny A light brown to brownish-orange shade named for tanned leatherNamed shade Brown Bryoria fremontii A dark brown lichen used for food, medicine, and dye by First Nations in North AmericaColour named from nature · 🇷🇺 Russia Brown Ferrihydrite A dark brown to yellow-brown iron mineral found in soils and water depositsColour named from nature · 🇩🇪 Germany #EDC9AF Desert sand A pale, reddish yellow inspired by the colour of sand in desertsNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States #A52A2A Auburn hair A natural hair colour blending red and brown tonesNamed shade · 🇳🇴 Norway +4 Brown Haematin A dark bluish or brownish iron pigment formed by oxidising haemPigment Brown Seal brown A near-black horse coat with tan or reddish highlights on soft areasNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France Brown Dark skin Human skin rich in melanin, evolved for protection in strong sunlightNamed shade #6F4E37 Coffee A brown shade matching the look of roasted coffee beansNamed shade #C19A6B Fallow A soft brown shade named for the look of dry fields and old leavesNamed shade #E5AA70 Fawn A pale yellowish tan seen in fabrics and many dog breedsNamed shade #79443B Bole A reddish-brown pigment made from fine clay, used under gold leaf in artNamed shade · 🇦🇲 Armenia #C19A6B Camel A light yellowish brown named for the colour of camel hairNamed shade Brown Sooty A horse coat colour with black hairs mixed into the main colour, often darkening the toplineNamed shade Brown Gambiered Guangdong gauze A silk from Guangdong, China, dyed with plant juice and river mudTraditional colour · 🇨🇳 China +1 Brown Flaxen A genetic trait giving chestnut horses pale, golden manes and tailsNamed shade
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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.