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

Colours of buildings and cities

Walls, roofs, tiles, doors and whole painted towns.

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 · 🇺🇸 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 · 🇮🇪 Ireland +1 #FFFF00 Yellow A primary colour between green and orange, seen in sunlight, leaves, and pigmentsBasic colour · 🇫🇷 France +5 #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 #FF80C0 Pink A light tint of red, named after the pink flower and used in art, fashion, and cultureBasic colour #00FFFF Cyan A blue-green colour found between blue and green on the spectrum and key in printingBasic colour Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +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 #FFD700 Gold A strong yellow named for the precious metal and often linked with wealth and first placeNamed shade 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 #40E0D0 Turquoise A blue-green colour named after a prized mineral long used for gems and decorationNamed shade · 🇮🇷 Iran +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #808000 Olive A dark yellowish green, like the colour of unripe olivesNamed shade #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +2 #F5F5DC Beige A pale, warm colour named after natural, undyed woolNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +2 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5 Black Carbon black A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +4 Black Vantablack A super-black coating made from carbon nanotubes that absorbs nearly all visible lightPigment #0047AB Cobalt blue A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment · 🇫🇷 France +3 #FFFDD0 Cream A soft yellow-white named after the top layer of milkNamed shade #FFBF00 Amber A yellow-orange colour named after fossilised tree resinNamed shade #008080 Teal A dark cyan named after the Eurasian teal bird’s blue-green head stripeNamed shade #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1 #1034A6 Egyptian blue A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Black Bone char A deep black pigment and filter made by charring animal bonesPigment #801818 Falu redfalu rödfärg A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment · 🇸🇪 Sweden +2 #FFE5B4 Peach A soft pastel shade named for the inside of a peach fruitNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #B7410E Rust A deep reddish-orange named after the colour of oxidised ironNamed shade #FADA5E Naples yellow A historic synthetic yellow pigment once prized by painters and pottersPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1 #FFA700 Chrome yellow A bright yellow pigment made from lead chromate, once popular in art and industryPigment #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment · 🇲🇽 Mexico +1 #1C39BB Persian blue A vivid blue inspired by Persian tiles and lapis lazuliNamed shade · 🇮🇷 Iran +1 #006B3C Cadmium pigments A family of strong yellow, orange, red and green pigments made from cadmium compoundsPigment #CC8899 Puce A brownish-purple shade named after the flea and once favoured in French fashionNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +1 #BA160C International orange A strong reddish-orange used for safety in engineering, aerospace and maritime workNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +1 #2E5090 YInMn Blue A modern, stable blue pigment made from yttrium, indium and manganese oxidesPigment · 🇺🇸 United States +1 #997A8D Mountbatten pink A muted pink-grey once used as naval camouflage in World War IINamed shade #6699CC Blue-gray A cool-toned mix of blue and grey seen in nature, art, and uniformsNamed shade Red Sang de boeuf glaze郎窑红 A deep red porcelain glaze first made in early 18th-century ChinaNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China +1
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.