Colour news
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Standard and safety colours

Colours fixed by a rule: safety signs, school buses, uniforms, paint charts.

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 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +5 #000000 Black The colour seen when no visible light is present or all light is absorbedBasic colour #00FF00 Green The colour between cyan and yellow, seen widely in plants and natureBasic colour 路 馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland +1 #0000FF Blue A primary colour seen in the sky and sea, used since ancient times in art and dyeBasic colour #FFFFFF White The lightest colour, seen in snow, milk and chalk, and opposite to blackBasic colour #808080 Grey A neutral colour between black and white, seen in clouds, ash, and undyed woolBasic colour #00FFFF Cyan A blue-green colour found between blue and green on the spectrum and key in printingBasic colour #FF00FF Magenta A purplish-pink colour named after a battle and key to modern printingNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 Black Vantablack A super-black coating made from carbon nanotubes that absorbs nearly all visible lightPigment #80FF00 Chartreuse A bright yellow-green named after a French liqueurNamed shade #000080 Navy blue A deep blue shade named for the uniforms of the Royal NavyNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 #FFBF00 Amber A yellow-orange colour named after fossilised tree resinNamed shade #008080 Teal A dark cyan named after the Eurasian teal bird鈥檚 blue-green head stripeNamed shade #FA8072 Salmon A warm pink-orange shade named after the flesh of the salmon fishNamed shade #002366 Royal blue A strong, deep blue linked with royalty and national flagsNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 #C41E3A Cardinal A strong, deep red linked to church robes and team coloursNamed shade #C2B280 Ecru A pale, greyish yellow once named for unbleached linenNamed shade #00FF80 Spring green A bright green halfway between green and cyan on the RGB colour wheelNamed shade #191970 Midnight blue A deep blue that recalls the sky late at night under moonlightNamed shade #4A412A Pantone 448 C A dull brown shade chosen to discourage smoking by making packaging unattractiveStandard colour 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +5 #B0E0E6 Powder blue A pale blue once made from powdered cobalt glass, now a standard paint and web colourNamed shade #BA160C International orange A strong reddish-orange used for safety in engineering, aerospace and maritime workNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 #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 #6699CC Blue-gray A cool-toned mix of blue and grey seen in nature, art, and uniformsNamed shade #FF7800 Safety orange A vivid orange used for high-visibility and safety markingNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +4 #228B22 Forest green A deep green matching the leaves of temperate forestsNamed shade #D40000 Rosso corsa The deep red that marks Italian racing cars and teamsNational or team colour 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy #FF91AF Baker-Miller Pink A strong pink once used in prisons and sports to try to calm aggressionNamed shade 路 馃嚚馃嚟 Switzerland +1 #CE2029 Fire engine red A bright red shade long used on fire engines and emergency vehiclesNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +1 #8C1515 Stanford Cardinal Red A deep red colour used by Stanford University in its identity and sportsNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States #3E8EDE Tufts Blue A clear blue used as the official colour of Tufts UniversityNational or team colour 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States #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 #FFF8E7 Cosmic latte A pale beige shade found by averaging the light of over 200,000 galaxiesNamed shade Grey Greyscale Images made up only of shades of grey, from black to whiteNamed shade #6495ED Cornflower blue A clear, medium-light blue named for the cornflower and prized in sapphiresNamed shade #00FFFF Aqua A bright blue-green used for screens and web designBasic 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 #000F89 Phthalo blue A strong, synthetic blue pigment made from copper phthalocyaninePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +1 #C04000 Mahogany A reddish-brown named after mahogany wood, first recorded as a colour in 1737Named shade Red BISU Maroon A deep maroon chosen as a school colour by Beijing International Studies UniversityNamed shade 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China #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 #81D8D0 Tiffany Blue A light blue-green shade trademarked by Tiffany & Co. for its boxes and brandingNamed shade #EDC9AF Desert sand A pale, reddish yellow inspired by the colour of sand in desertsNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States #C71585 Red-violet A strong colour found between red and magenta, often called purple in artNamed shade #FFEBCD X11 color names A set of colour names and values used in the X Window System and early web browsersStandard colour #123524 Phthalo green A synthetic green pigment made from copper and chlorinated phthalocyaninePigment #FFBA00 Selective yellow A yellow defined for car headlamps and fog lamps to cut glare in bad weatherNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2
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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.