Shades of white
Varieties of the color white
Shades of white are colors that differ slightly from the CIE standard illuminant D65, a white point that represents the average color of daylight at noon. There isn't one objectively pure white, as noon daylight varies by location and atmospheric conditions, and the choice of using D65 instead of direct sunlight or a white point on the Planckian locus is arbitrary. For simplicity, this article will use the term pure white for the D65 white point.
Variations of white include what are commonly termed off-white colors, which may be considered part of a neutral color scheme.
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 gray. 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.
Off-white colors were pervasively paired with beiges in the 1930s, and especially popular again from roughly 1955 to 1975. In terms of paint, off-white paints are now becoming more popular, with Benjamin Moore having 152 shades of off-whites, Behr having 167, and PPG having 315.
Whiteness measures the degree to which a surface is white in colorimetry.
01Web 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 blues 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 | ||
| White solid | #F4F5FA | ||
| Snow | #FFFAFA | ||
| Honeydew | #F0FFF0 | ||
| Mintcream | #F5FFFA | ||
| Azure | #F0FFFF | ||
| Aliceblue | #F0F8FF | ||
| Ghostwhite | #F8F8FF | ||
| Seashell | #FFF5EE | ||
| Beige | #F5F5DC | ||
| Oldlace | #FDF5E6 | ||
| Floralwhite | #FFFAF0 | ||
| Ivory | #FFFFF0 | ||
| Linen | #FAF0E6 | ||
| Lavenderblush | #FFF0F5 | ||
02White
White
#FFFFFF
| White | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFFFFF |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 255, 255) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (0°, 0%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (100, 0, 0°) |
| Source | By definition |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
White in the sRGB color space and many other color gamuts, is based on the CIE standard illuminant D65. Its purpose is to emulate daylight during noon, to give a natural illumination. The perception of white is evoked when light is distributed along the spectrum roughly like a blackbody from 5800-6800K, and when such light has high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will have negligible hue and grayness.
03Sunlight
Sunlight
#FFF3EF
| Sunlight | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFF3EF |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 243, 239) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (15°, 6%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (97, 8, 32°) |
| Source | CU Boulder |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
Sunlight is the color of sunlight as viewed from outer space, without any atmospheric effects. The calculated CIE 1931 xy chromaticity coordinates for the color of the Sun are approximately 0.3233 and 0.3326. With xy coordinates of 0.3230 and 03329, the sRGB color #FFF3EF is the one that gets the closest to these coordinates.
04Chalk white
Chalk white
#FBFFFF
| Chalk white | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FBFFFF |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (251, 255, 255) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (180°, 2%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (100, 0, 0°) |
| Source | Pourpre |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
Chalk white is a tint of white resembling the chalk color.
05Ghost white
Ghost white
#F8F8FF
| Ghost white | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F8F8FF |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (248, 248, 255) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (240°, 3%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (98, 5, 266°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The web color ghost white is a tint of white loosely inspired by traditional representations of ghosts. There is no evidence that this color name was in use before the X11 color names were formulated in 1987.
06White smoke
White smoke
#F5F5F5
| White smoke | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F5F5F5 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (245, 245, 245) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (0°, 0%, 96%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (97, 0, 0°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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. The color is also known as Cultured Pearl, one of crayon colors issued by Crayola in its 16-pack of Pearl Brite Crayons.
07White solid
White solid
#F4F5FA
| White solid | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F4F5FA |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (244, 245, 250) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (230°, 2%, 98%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (97, 4, 258°) |
| Source | Color Hex Map |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The web color white solid 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. Sometimes also known as Ghost White, the color has marked blue hues, although is otherwise very close to being completely white in the RGB color system.
08Baby powder
Baby powder
#FEFEFA
| Baby powder | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FEFEFA |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (254, 254, 250) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (60°, 2%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (100, 0, 0°) |
| Source | Crayola |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The Crayola crayon color baby powder was introduced in 1994 as part of its specialty Magic Scent crayon collection. It is a very light yellow.
09Snow
Snow
#FFFAFA
| Snow | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFFAFA |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 250, 250) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (0°, 2%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (99, 3, 12°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | White |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The web color snow is displayed at left.
The first recorded use of snow as a color name in English was in 1000.
The color snow was included as one of the X11 colors when they were formulated in 1987.
10Ivory
Ivory
#FFFFF0
| Ivory | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFFFF0 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 255, 240) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (60°, 6%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (100, 0, 0°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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.
The color ivory was included as one of the X11 colors when they were formulated in 1987.
11Floral white
Floral white
#FFFAF0
| Floral white | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFFAF0 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 250, 240) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (40°, 6%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (98, 9, 67°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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.
12Seashell
Seashell
#FFF5EE
| Seashell | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFF5EE |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 245, 238) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (25°, 7%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (97, 9, 47°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Yellowish white |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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.
In 1987, seashell was included as one of the X11 colors.
13Bone white
Bone white
#F9F6EE
| Bone white | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F9F6EE |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (249, 246, 238) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (44°, 4%, 98%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (97, 7, 72°) |
| Source | HTML Color Codes |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
Bone white is a yellowish-gray shade of white which represents the color of natural, unbleached bones.
14Cornsilk
Cornsilk
#FFF8DC
| Cornsilk | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFF8DC |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 248, 220) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (48°, 14%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (97, 22, 75°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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.
In 1987, cornsilk was included as one of the X11 colors.
15Old lace
Old lace
#FDF5E6
| Old lace | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FDF5E6 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (253, 245, 230) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (39°, 9%, 99%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (97, 13, 66°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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.
16Cream
Cream
#FFFDD0
| Cream | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FFFDD0 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (255, 253, 208) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (57°, 18%, 100%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (98, 33, 84°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Light yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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.
In 1987, cream was included as one of the X11 colors.
17White Chocolate
White Chocolate
#EDE6D6
| White Chocolate | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #EDE6D6 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (237, 230, 214) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (42°, 10%, 93%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (91, 14, 69°) |
| Source | Encycolorpedia |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
White Chocolate is a color that is a representation of the color of white chocolate made of cocoa butter, sugar and milk.
18Beige
Beige
#F5F5DC
| Beige | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F5F5DC |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (245, 245, 220) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (60°, 10%, 96%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (96, 19, 86°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The color beige is displayed at left.
The first recorded use of beige as a color name in English was in 1887.
The term originates from beige cloth, a cotton fabric left undyed in its natural color.
Items that are of beige color in real world applications are typically closer to brown than they are to white.
19Parchment
Parchment
#F1E9D2
| Parchment | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F1E9D2 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (241, 233, 210) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (45°, 13%, 95%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (92, 19, 72°) |
| Source | Xona.com Color List |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
Displayed at left is the color parchment.
In 2001, this was made into one of the colors on the Xona.com color list.
20Antique white
Antique white
#FAEBD7
| Antique white | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FAEBD7 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (250, 235, 215) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (34°, 14%, 98%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (94, 20, 59°) |
| Source | X11 |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
Antique white is a web color.
The color name antique white began to be used in 1987 when the X11 colors were first formulated.
21Champagne
Champagne
#F7E7CE
| Champagne | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F7E7CE |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (247, 231, 206) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (37°, 17%, 97%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (92, 23, 62°) |
| Source | Maerz and Paul |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The color champagne is displayed at left.
The color's name is derived from the typical color of the beverage champagne.
The first recorded use of champagne as a color name in English was in 1915.
22Eggshell
Eggshell
#F0EAD6
| Eggshell | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F0EAD6 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (240, 234, 214) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (46°, 11%, 94%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (93, 16, 74°) |
| Source | ISCC-NBS |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The color eggshell is displayed at left.
The color eggshell is a representation of the average color of chicken eggs.
23Dutch white
Dutch white
#EFDFBB
| Dutch white | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #EFDFBB |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (239, 223, 187) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (42°, 22%, 94%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (89, 31, 67°) |
| Source | Resene |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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.
24Bone
Bone
#E3DAC9
| Bone | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #E3DAC9 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (227, 218, 201) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (39°, 11%, 89%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (87, 15, 66°) |
| Source | Kelly-Moore |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Yellowish gray |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
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).
25Vanilla
Vanilla
#F3E5AB
| Vanilla | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F3E5AB |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (243, 229, 171) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (48°, 30%, 95%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (91, 44, 75°) |
| Source | ISCC-NBS |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale greenish yellow |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The color vanilla is a rich tint of off-white as well as a medium pale tint of yellow.
The first recorded use of vanilla as a color name in English was in 1925.
26Flax
Flax
#EEDC82
| Flax | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #EEDC82 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (238, 220, 130) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (50°, 45%, 93%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (87, 63, 75°) |
| Source | Maerz and Paul |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Light greenish yellow |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
The color flax is displayed at left.
The first recorded use of flax as a color name in English was in 1915.
28Alabaster
Alabaster
#EDEAE0
Displayed at left is the color alabaster. It represents the whitish color of the mineral alabaster.
| Alabaster | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #EDEAE0 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (237, 234, 224) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (46°, 5%, 93%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (93, 8, 74°) |
| Source | [Unsourced] |
| ISCC-NBS descriptor | Pale yellow green |
| B: Normalized to [0-255] (byte) | |
Alabaster has been used as a color in English since 1594 (in Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece), but the origin of the RGB coordinates is not known.
29Linen
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Shades of white”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Snow Scene at Shipka Pass 1.JPG by Psy guy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Color icon white.svg by Badseed, Public domain
- Talcum Powder.JPEG by Mattman723, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bimbisar welcoming Buddha Roundel 30 buddha ivory tusk.jpg by Nomu420, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Seashell unknown 2.jpg by Wilfredor, CC0
- Cornsilk 7091.jpg by The original uploader was Pollinator at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Strawberry ice cream dessert.jpg by Unknown author, CC BY 2.0
- Chopped white chocolate chunks.jpg by Mixy Lorenzo, CC BY 2.0
- Beige cat.jpg by Geonuch, CC BY-SA 4.0
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