Shades of white

Shades of white are colors that differ only slightly from pure white. Variations of white include what are commonly termed off-white colors, which may be considered part of a neutral color scheme.

"Off-white" redirects here. For other uses, see Off-white (disambiguation).
White
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFFFFF
HSV       (h, s, v)(0°, 0%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 255, 255)
SourceBy definition
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

In color theory, a shade is a pure color mixed with black (or having a lower lightness). Strictly speaking, a “shade of white” would be a neutral grey. This article is also about off-white colors that vary from pure white in hue, and in chroma (also called saturation, or intensity).

Colors often considered "shades of white" include cream, eggshell, ivory, Navajo white, and vanilla. Even the lighting of a room, however, can cause a pure white to be perceived as off-white.[1]

Off-white colors were pervasively paired with beiges in the 1930s,[2] and especially popular again from roughly 1955 to 1975.[3]

Whiteness measures the degree to which a surface is white in colorimetry.

Web colors

Below is a chart showing the computer web color shades of white. An achromatic white is a white color in which the red, green, and blue codes are exactly equal. The web colors white and white smoke are achromatic colors. A chromatic shade of white is a white color in which the red, green, and blue codes are not exactly equal, but are close to each other, which is what makes it a shade of white.

HTML color name Sample Hex triplet
(rendered by name) (rendered by hex triplet)
White #FFFFFF
Whitesmoke #F5F5F5
Snow #FFFAFA
Honeydew #F0FFF0
Mintcream #F5FFFA
Azure #F0FFFF
Aliceblue #F0F8FF
Ghostwhite #F8F8FF
Seashell #FFF5EE
Beige #F5F5DC
Oldlace #FDF5E6
Floralwhite #FFFAF0
Ivory #FFFFF0
Antiquewhite #FAEBD7
Linen #FAF0E6
Lavenderblush #FFF0F5

White
Main article: White

White (#FFFFFF)
#FFFFFF

White
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFFFFF
HSV       (h, s, v)(0°, 0%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 255, 255)
SourceBy definition
ISCC–NBS descriptorWhite
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness. White is the lightest possible color.

Ghost white

Ghost white (#F8F8FF)
#F8F8FF

Ghost white
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#F8F8FF
HSV       (h, s, v)(240°, 3%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(248, 248, 255)
SourceX11[4]
ISCC–NBS descriptorWhite
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color ghost white is a tint of white associated with what the 'creator' of the color imagined the hue of a ghost could be.

There is no evidence that this color name was in use before the X11 color names were formulated in 1987.

White smoke

White smoke (#F5F5F5)
#F5F5F5

White smoke
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#F5F5F5
HSV       (h, s, v)(0°, 0%, 96.1%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(245, 245, 245)
SourceX11
ISCC–NBS descriptorWhite
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color white smoke is displayed on the left.

There is no evidence that this color name was in use before the X11 color names were formulated in 1987.

Baby powder

Baby powder (#FEFEFA)
#FEFEFA

Baby powder
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FEFEFA
HSV       (h, s, v)(60°, 2%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 254, 250)
SourceCrayola
ISCC–NBS descriptorWhite
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)
Talcum or baby powder

The Crayola crayon color baby powder was introduced in 1994 as part of its specialty Magic Scent crayon collection.

Snow

Snow (#FFFAFA)
#FFFAFA

Snow
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFFAFA
HSV       (h, s, v)(0°, 2%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 250, 250)
SourceX11[4]
ISCC–NBS descriptorWhite
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color snow is displayed at left.

The first recorded use of snow as a color name in English was in 1000.[5]

Snow in Bulgaria

The color snow was included as one of the X11 colors when they were formulated in 1987.

Ivory
Main article: Ivory (color)

Ivory (#FFFFF0)
#FFFFF0

Ivory
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFFFF0
HSV       (h, s, v)(60°, 6%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 255, 240)
SourceX11
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Ivory is an off-white color that resembles ivory, the material out of which the teeth and tusks of animals (such as the elephant and the walrus) are made. It has a very slight tint of yellow.

The first recorded use of ivory as a color name in English was in 1385.[6]

A carving in ivory

The color ivory was included as one of the X11 colors when they were formulated in 1987.

Floral white

Floral white (#FFFAF0)
#FFFAF0

Floral white
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFFAF0
HSV       (h, s, v)(40°, 6%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 250, 240)
SourceX11[4]
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The web color floral white is displayed at left.

There is no evidence that this color name was in use before the X11 color names were formulated in 1987.

Seashell
Main article: Seashell (color)

Seashell (#FFF5EE)
#FFF5EE

Seashell
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFF5EE
HSV       (h, s, v)(25°, 7%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 245, 238)
SourceX11
ISCC–NBS descriptorYellowish white
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Seashell is an off-white color that resembles some of the very pale pinkish tones that are common in many seashells.

The first recorded use of seashell as a color name in English was in 1926.[7]

Seashell in the sand

In 1987, seashell was included as one of the X11 colors.

Cornsilk

Cornsilk (#FFF8DC)
#FFF8DC

Cornsilk
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFF8DC
HSV       (h, s, v)(48°, 14%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 248, 220)
SourceX11[4]
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Cornsilk is a color that is a representation of the color of cornsilk.

The first recorded use of cornsilk as a color name in English was in 1927.[8]

Cornsilk

In 1987, cornsilk was included as one of the X11 colors.

Old lace

Old lace (#FDF5E6)
#FDF5E6

Old lace
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FDF5E6
HSV       (h, s, v)(39°, 9%, 99%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(253, 245, 230)
SourceX11[4]
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Old lace is a web color that is a very pale yellowish orange that resembles the color of an old lace tablecloth.

It is one of the original X11 colors.

Old lace is used as a color of a certain kind of Caucasian skin type in art.

Cream
Main article: Cream (color)

Cream (#FFFDD0)
#FFFDD0

Cream
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFFDD0
HSV       (h, s, v)(57°, 18%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 253, 208)
SourceX11
ISCC–NBS descriptorLight yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Cream is a color that is a representation of the color of the cream produced from the milk of cattle.

The first recorded use of cream as a color name in English was in 1590.[9]

Strawberries with cream

In 1987, cream was included as one of the X11 colors.

Beige
Main article: Beige

Beige (#F5F5DC)
#F5F5DC

Beige
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#F5F5DC
HSV       (h, s, v)(60°, 10%, 96%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(245, 245, 220)
SourceX11
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color beige is displayed at left.

The first recorded use of beige as a color name in English was in 1887.[10]

The term originates from beige cloth, a cotton fabric left undyed in its natural color.

A beige cat

Items that are of beige color in real world applications are typically closer to brown than they are to white.

Parchment

Parchment (#F1E9D2)
#F1E9D2

Parchment
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#F1E9D2
HSV       (h, s, v)(45°, 13%, 95%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(241, 233, 210)
SourceXona.com Color List
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at left is the color parchment.

Parchment made from goatskin

In 2001, this was made into one of the colors on the Xona.com color list.

Antique white

Antique white (#FAEBD7)
#FAEBD7

Antique white
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FAEBD7
HSV       (h, s, v)(34°, 14%, 98%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(250, 235, 215)
SourceX11[4]
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Antique white is a web color.

The color name antique white began to be used in 1987 when the X11 colors were first formulated.

Champagne
Main article: Champagne (color)

Champagne (#F7E7CE)
#F7E7CE

Champagne
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#F7E7CE
HSV       (h, s, v)(37°, 17%, 97%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(247, 231, 206)
SourceMaerz and Paul
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color champagne is displayed at left.

The color's name is derived from the typical color of the beverage champagne.

A glass of champagne

The first recorded use of champagne as a color name in English was in 1915.[11]

Eggshell
Main article: Eggshell (color)

Eggshell (#F0EAD6)
#F0EAD6

Eggshell
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#F0EAD6
HSV       (h, s, v)(46°, 11%, 94%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(240, 234, 214)
SourceISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color eggshell is displayed at left.

Broken egg shells

The color eggshell is a representation of the average color of chicken eggs.

Dutch white

Dutch white (#EFDFBB)
#EFDFBB

Dutch white
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#EFDFBB
HSV       (h, s, v)(42°, 22%, 94[12]%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(239, 223, 187)
SourceResene
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at left is the color Dutch white.

Dutch white is one of the colors on the Resene Color List, a color list popular in Australia and New Zealand. The color Dutch white was formulated in 2000.

Bone

Bone (#E3DAC9)
#E3DAC9

Bone
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#E3DAC9
HSV       (h, s, v)(39°, 11%, 89%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(227, 218, 201)
SourceKelly-Moore
ISCC–NBS descriptorYellowish gray
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color bone is displayed at left. This color is a representation of the color of bones.

The first recorded use of bone as a color name in English was in the first decade of the 19th century (exact year uncertain).[13]

Cranial bones

Vanilla
Main article: Vanilla (color)

Vanilla (#F3E5AB)
#F3E5AB

Vanilla
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#F3E5AB
HSV       (h, s, v)(48°, 30%, 95%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(243, 229, 171)
SourceISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale greenish yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color vanilla is a rich tint of off-white as well as a medium pale tint of yellow.

Vanilla orchid
Vanilla ice cream

The first recorded use of vanilla as a color name in English was in 1925.[14]

Flax
Main article: Flax (color)

Flax (#EEDC82)
#EEDC82

Flax
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#EEDC82
HSV       (h, s, v)(50°, 45%, 93%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(238, 220, 130)
SourceMaerz and Paul[15]
ISCC–NBS descriptorLight greenish yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color flax is displayed at left.

A patch of flax in Poland

The first recorded use of flax as a color name in English was in 1915.[16]

Main article: Navajo white

Navajo white (#FFDEAD)
#FFDEAD

Navajo white
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#FFDEAD
HSV       (h, s, v)(36°, 32%, 100%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(255, 222, 173)
SourceX11[17]
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Navajo white is a whitish orange color, and derives its name from its similarity to the background color of the Navajo Nation ethnic flag.

Flag of the Navajo Nation

In 1987, Navajo white was included as one of the X11 colors.

Alabaster
Main article: Alabaster

Alabaster (#EDEAE0)
#EDEAE0

Displayed at right is the color alabaster. It represents the whitish color of the mineral alabaster.

Alabaster
 
    Color coordinates
Hex triplet#EDEAE0
HSV       (h, s, v)(46.2°, 5.5%, 92.9%)
sRGBB  (r, g, b)(237, 234, 224)
Source[Unsourced]
ISCC–NBS descriptorPale yellow green
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)
A slab of alabaster

Alabaster has been used as a color in English since at least 1594 (in Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece), but the origin of the RGB coordinates is not known.

See also

References
  1. Sickler, Dean (2010). The Keys to Color: A Decorator's Handbook. p. 11. ISBN 9781439270486. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  2. Ryan, Elaine (2007). Color Your Life: How to Design Your Home with Colors from Your Heart. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 12–15. ISBN 9780312368197. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  3. Mahnke, Frank H. (1996). Color, Environment, and Human Response. New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 80. ISBN 9780471286677. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  4. CSS Color Module Level 3 (W3C):
  5. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 204
  6. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 197; Color Sample of Ivory: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample B12
  7. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 204; Color Sample of Seashell: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample A4
  8. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 193; Color Sample of Cornsilk: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample G3
  9. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 193; Color Sample of Cream: Page 41 Plate 9 Color Sample D4
  10. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190; Color Sample of Beige: Page 45 Plate 11 Color Sample C2
  11. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 192; Color Sample of Champagne: Page 45 Plate 11 Color Sample B3 Note: The color called Champagne in the color box above (color #F7E7CE) matches the color shown as Champagne in Maerz and Paul.
  12. web.Forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to color #EFDFBB (Dutch White):
  13. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190
  14. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 206; Color Sample of Vanilla: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample C3
  15. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called flax in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color flax is displayed on page 47, Plate 12, Color Sample B2.
  16. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 195; Color Sample of Flax: Page 47 Plate 12 Color Sample B2
  17. CSS Color Module Level 3:
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