Colour news
Colour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youSeeing colourOvernight News Digest: Science Saturday, 10/3/26Seeing colourTony Chess ObituarySeeing 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 1/11FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 2/11FestivalsPhotos of the weekColour and the mindAfter the BBC's 'racist nude nails' row, expert reveals what your favourite polish says about youSeeing colourOvernight News Digest: Science Saturday, 10/3/26Seeing colourTony Chess ObituarySeeing 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 1/11FestivalsPoliticians grab limelight as Holi colour bombs Bangkok Photo 2/11FestivalsPhotos of the week
Rang

Colours made from sodium nitrite

2 colours that our sources say are made from sodium nitrite.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Orange Solvent Yellow 14 An orange-red azo dye once used in food, now banned for food and textilesPigment Red Scarlet GN A synthetic red azo dye once used in foods and now mainly in cosmeticsDye · 🇺🇸 United States +4

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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.