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Seeing colourWhy Your TV’s Colors Look Different to Everyone Else, Explained by New Vision ModelCraft and textilesNeed a pop of colour? Try autumn 2026’s designer accessoriesPigments 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 formFestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 1/11FestivalsPhotos 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 294Seeing colourWhy Your TV’s Colors Look Different to Everyone Else, Explained by New Vision ModelCraft and textilesNeed a pop of colour? Try autumn 2026’s designer accessoriesPigments 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 formFestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 1/11FestivalsPhotos 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 294
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Traditional colours

Colours with a long life in one culture: its dress, craft, court or faith.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Yellow Turmeric A golden yellow dye and spice from the rhizome of a tropical plantColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5 Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5 #6A5DFF Indigo A deep blue named for the dye once exported from IndiaNamed shade · 🇮🇳 India +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature · 🇪🇸 Spain +5 Brown Terracotta A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +4 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment · 🇫🇷 France +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment · 🇮🇳 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia +5 Blue Woad A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye · 🇫🇷 France +3 #C3B091 Khaki A light tan with a yellowish tinge, once made for military uniformsNamed shade · 🇮🇳 India +2 Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye · 🇮🇳 India +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #003153 Prussian blue A deep blue pigment first made in Berlin in the early 1700sPigment · 🇯🇵 Japan #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +2 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 #007FFF Azure A clear sky blue, halfway between blue and cyan on the colour wheelNamed shade · 🇮🇹 Italy +2 #E25822 Scarlet A bright red with a touch of orange, long tied to power, sacrifice and sinNamed shade · 🇹🇷 Turkey +4 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5 #87CEEB Sky blue A light blue named for the colour of a clear daytime skyNamed shade · 🇦🇷 Argentina +5 Red Rubia A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Black India ink A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment · 🇨🇳 China +1 #DC143C Crimson A deep red with a hint of purple, once made from insectsNamed shade · 🇳🇵 Nepal Black Kohlكُحْل A dark eye cosmetic made from minerals like galena and stibniteTraditional colour · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #800000 Maroon A deep brownish red named for the French word for chestnutNamed shade · 🇦🇺 Australia +4 Purple and violet Tyrian purple A reddish-purple dye once worth its weight in silver, made from sea snailsDye · 🇱🇧 Lebanon +4 #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +4 #704214 Sepia A reddish-brown colour named for the ink of the cuttlefishNamed shade Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye · 🇵🇭 Philippines #0047AB Cobalt blue A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment · 🇫🇷 France +3 Red Sindoorसिन्दूर A red or orange-red powder marking marriage for Hindu women in South AsiaTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India +4 #FFFDD0 Cream A soft yellow-white named after the top layer of milkNamed shade Purple and violet Logwood A tree whose wood yields a dye once vital for textiles and scienceColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +3 #000080 Navy blue A deep blue shade named for the uniforms of the Royal NavyNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +2 #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1 #F4C430 Saffron A yellow-orange shade named after the colour of saffron crocus threadsNamed shade · 🇮🇳 India +1 Orange Annatto A yellow-orange dye and flavour from the seeds of the achiote treeDye · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5 #E0B0FF Mauve A pale purple named after the mallow flower and once a fashion sensationNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France #1034A6 Egyptian blue A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #801818 Falu redfalu rödfärg A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment · 🇸🇪 Sweden +2 Green Celadon青瓷 A jade-green ceramic glaze prized in East Asian pottery for centuriesNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China +4 #8A3324 Umber A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment · 🇨🇾 Cyprus +2 Red Hennaحِنَّاء A reddish dye from the henna plant, used for body art and hair since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #3D2B1F Bistre A dark brown pigment and colour made from soot, once used in Old Master drawingsPigment #007BA7 Cerulean A blue-green colour once made from cobalt stannate and linked with the skyNamed shade · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom #9966CC Lavender A pale purple named for the lavender flower, with many subtle variationsNamed shade #E97451 Sienna A reddish-brown earth pigment named after the city of Siena in ItalyPigment · 🇫🇷 France #002366 Royal blue A strong, deep blue linked with royalty and national flagsNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +4
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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.