Colour news
Pigments 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 formFestivalsPhotos 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鈥檚 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 SetPigments 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 formFestivalsPhotos 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鈥檚 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 Set
Rang

Colours of textiles and dress

Dyed, woven, printed and worn.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
#0000FF Blue A primary colour seen in the sky and sea, used since ancient times in art and dyeBasic colour Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +5 #6A5DFF Indigo A deep blue named for the dye once exported from IndiaNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 Blue Woad A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3 Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Blue Methylene blue A synthetic blue dye and medicine first made in 1876Dye #003153 Prussian blue A deep blue pigment first made in Berlin in the early 1700sPigment 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +2 #007FFF Azure A clear sky blue, halfway between blue and cyan on the colour wheelNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy +2 #87CEEB Sky blue A light blue named for the colour of a clear daytime skyNamed shade 路 馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina +5 Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye 路 馃嚨馃嚟 Philippines #000080 Navy blue A deep blue shade named for the uniforms of the Royal NavyNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2 #007BA7 Cerulean A blue-green colour once made from cobalt stannate and linked with the skyNamed shade 路 馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom #002366 Royal blue A strong, deep blue linked with royalty and national flagsNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4 #191970 Midnight blue A deep blue that recalls the sky late at night under moonlightNamed shade #1C39BB Persian blue A vivid blue inspired by Persian tiles and lapis lazuliNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran +1 #7DF9FF Electric blue A bright blue named for the glow of electrical discharges and lightningNamed shade Blue Tekhelet转职旨讻值诇侄转 A blue dye from sea snails, central to ancient Jewish ritual and traditionDye 路 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel +2 #89CFF0 Baby blue A soft pastel blue first named in English in 1892Named shade 路 馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina #B0E0E6 Powder blue A pale blue once made from powdered cobalt glass, now a standard paint and web colourNamed shade #318CE7 Bleu de France A vivid blue long linked with France and its national identityNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France #6699CC Blue-gray A cool-toned mix of blue and grey seen in nature, art, and uniformsNamed shade #4B61D1 Savoy blueblu Savoia A bright blue between peacock blue and periwinkle, a symbol of Italy since the Middle AgesNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy #86A1A9 Tourmaline喽о窛喽秽陡喽洁穵喽洁窉 A mineral group prized for its rainbow of gemstone coloursColour named from nature 路 馃嚤馃嚢 Sri Lanka +5 Blue Lazurite A deep blue mineral that gives lapis lazuli its colourColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +2 #6495ED Cornflower blue A clear, medium-light blue named for the cornflower and prized in sapphiresNamed shade #1C05B3 Trypan blue A synthetic blue azo dye used to stain dead cells in science and medicineDye #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 #F0F8FF Alice blue A pale blue shade named for Alice Roosevelt, once a fashion trend in the USNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States #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 #5D8AA8 Air Force blue A medium blue-green shade linked to air force uniforms and flagsNamed shade 路 馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom +3 #003399 Cobalt glass A deep blue glass coloured with cobalt compounds, used in art and decoration for centuriesPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +2 Blue Blue hair Hair coloured blue by dye, art, or nature鈥檚 rare effectsNamed shade 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan +5 #B9D9EB Columbia blue A pale blue shade first used by Columbia University and its student societiesNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States #7CA2B8 Horizon blue A blue-grey shade famous for French army uniforms in World War INamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France Blue Azure spar A partly obsolete name for several bright blue ornamental mineralsNamed shade #56A0D3 Carolina blue A light blue shade tied to the University of North CarolinaNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Blue Blue A colour long prized in art, faith and dress, from ancient Egypt to modern flagsBasic colour 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Blue Coventry blue A blue cloth from Coventry, dyed with woad and known for its lasting colourNamed shade Blue Blue pigment Pigments that give blue colour to paints, inks, and art from ancient times to todayPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Blue Butterfly pea blue A vivid blue from the butterfly pea flower, used in Asian food and drinkColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia +5 Blue Indigofera tinctoria A shrub whose leaves yield natural indigo dyeColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Blue Indigofera suffruticosa A shrub from the Americas used to make indigo dye and Maya blue pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +5 Blue Brilliant blue FCF A synthetic blue dye widely used in foods, drinks, and medicinesPigment 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States Blue Desmodium incanum blue dye A blue dye obtained from the creeping beggarweed plant in West AfricaDye Blue Pala indigo A tree from India whose leaves yield a blue dye like indigoColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +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.