Shades of orange explained

Orange
Wavelength:585–620
Hex:FFA500
Spelling:Color
Symbolism:Autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving, warmth
Source:HTML Color Chart @30

In optics, orange has a wavelength between approximately 585 and 620 nm and a hue of 30° in HSV color space. In the RGB color space it is a secondary color numerically halfway between gamma-compressed red and yellow, as can be seen in the RGB color wheel. The complementary color of orange is azure. Orange pigments are largely in the ochre or cadmium families, and absorb mostly blue light.

Varieties of the color orange may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness) or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shades, a tint being an orange or other hue mixed with white, a shade being mixed with black. A large selection of these various colors is shown below.

Orange (color wheel)

Orange (color wheel)
Hex:FF8000
Spelling:Color
Source:HTML Color Chart @30
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

The color known as color wheel orange is the tone of orange that is a pure chroma on the HSV color wheel, the expression of which is known as the RGB color wheel, exactly halfway between red and yellow. The complementary color of orange is azure.

Web colors

Orange (web color)

Orange (web color)
Hex:FFA500
Isccname:Strong orange

The web color called orange is defined in CSS as the hex triplet FFA500.

Dark orange (web color)

Dark orange
Hex:FF8C00
Isccname:Vivid orange

There is a web color called dark orange.

Aerospace and safety

Safety orange

Safety Orange
Hex:FF7900
Source:ANSI Z535
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

See main article: Safety orange. Safety orange (also known as blaze orange, and a number of other names) was defined in ANSI standard Z535.1–1998 and is commonly used in a wide variety of contexts to warn of hazards, including: high-viz clothing, road cones, and as the background color in safety warning notices.

International orange (Aerospace)

International Orange
(Aerospace)
Hex:FF4F00
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

See main article: International orange. A shade of orange known as International orange is used in the aerospace industry to set objects apart from their surroundings, similar to Safety orange, but deeper and with a more reddish tone. It was the color used for the Space Shuttle pressure suits.

International orange (Golden Gate Bridge)

International Orange
(Golden Gate Bridge)
Hex:F04A00
Source:GGB
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

The tone of international orange used to paint the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California is slightly lighter than the standard International orange used by military contractors and in engineering (shown below), thus increasing its visibility to ships. The 25 de Abril Bridge in Lisbon, Portugal also uses this color.[1]

Additional definitions of orange

Orange (Pantone)

Orange (Pantone)
Hex:FF5800
Source:Pantone TPX[2]
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

The color called orange in Pantone is taken from the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #021 TPX—Orange.[3]

Orange (Crayola)

Orange (Crayola)
Hex:FF7538
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

Orange was one of the original colors formulated by Crayola in 1903.

Other variations of orange

Papaya whip

Papaya Whip
Hex:FFEFD5
Isccname:Pale yellow

The web color papaya whip is a pale tint of orange. It is a representation of the color that would result if mashed papayas were blended with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or yogurt.

Peach

See main article: Peach (color).

Peach
Hex:FFE5B4
Source:Maerz and Paul[4]
Isccname:Pale yellow

The first recorded use of peach as a color name in English was in 1588.[5]

Light orange

Light orange
Hex:FED8B1
Source:Crayola C.P.
Isccname:Pale orange yellow

A light orange color was formulated for Crayola colored pencils.

Apricot

See main article: Apricot (color).

Apricot
Hex:FBCEB1
Source:Maerz and Paul[6]
Isccname:Pale orange yellow

Apricot has been in use as a color name since 1851.[7]

Melon

Melon[8]
Hex:FDBCB4
Isccname:Moderate yellowish pink

The color melon is a representation of the color of the interior flesh of a cantaloupe, the most commonly consumed melon.

The first recorded use of melon as a color name in English was in 1892.[9]

In 1958, melon was formulated as one of the Crayola colors.

Atomic tangerine

Atomic tangerine
Hex:FF9966
Isccname:Strong yellowish pink

Atomic tangerine was formulated by Crayola in 1990.

(Atomic tangerine is supposed to be a fluorescent color, but there is no mechanism for showing fluorescence on a flat computer screen.)

Xanthous

Xanthous
Hex:F1B42F
Source:https://icolorpalette.com/color/xanthous
Isccname:Vivid orange yellow

The name of the color xanthous is derived from xantho (meaning yellow or golden), from the Ancient Greek ξανθός and "ous" (meaning full of), from the Latin adjectival suffix -ōsus.

Carrot orange

Carrot orange
Hex:ED9121
Source:Maerz and Paul
Isccname:Strong orange

Carrot orange is a tint of orange that is a representation of the color of the raw carrot vegetable.

The first recorded use of carrot orange as a color name in English was in 1684.[10]

Orange peel

Orange peel
Hex:FF9F00
Source:Maerz and Paul
Isccname:Strong orange

A discussion of the difference between the color orange (the color halfway between red and yellow, shown above as color wheel orange) and the color orange peel (the actual color of the outer skin of an orange), may be found in Maerz and Paul.[11] Orange peel is the color halfway between orange (color wheel) and amber on the color wheel.

The first recorded use of orange peel as a color name in English was in 1839.[12]

Princeton orange

Princeton orange
Hex:E77500
Source:Princeton University
Isccname:Vivid orange

The first recorded use of Princeton orange as a color name in English was in 1928.[13]

The color symbolizes Princeton University and is defined as Pantone 158.[14] The equivalent RGB values vary among sources.

UT orange

UT orange
Hex:FF8200
Source:University of Tennessee[15]
Isccname:Vivid orange

This shade of orange is unique to the University of Tennessee (UT), defined by the institution as Pantone 151, and is called UT orange. UT Orange is licensed and trademarked by the university for university/merchandise purposes.[16] [17] According to the university, this shade of orange is derived from the American daisy, which grew in profusion on the oldest part of the campus, The Hill. The University of Tennessee colors are UT orange and white, and are used across its various sports teams, advertising, and merchandise.[18]

Spanish orange

Orange (G&S)
Hex:E86100
Source:Gallego and Sanz[19]
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

Spanish orange is the color that is called anaranjado (the Spanish word for the colour "orange") in the Guía de coloraciones (Guide to colorations) by Rosa Gallego andJuan Carlos Sanz, a color dictionary published in 2005 that is widely popular in the Hispanophone realm.

Tangerine

See main article: article and Tangerine (color).

Tangerine
Hex:F28500
Source:[20]
Isccname:Vivid orange

The first recorded use of tangerine as a color name in English was in 1899.[21]

Coral

See main article: article and Coral (color).

Coral
Hex:FF7F50
Source:HTML/CSS[22]
X11 color names[23]
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

The web color coral is a shade of orange.The first recorded use of coral as a color name in English was in 1513.[24]

Pumpkin

Pumpkin
Hex:FF7518
Source:Maerz and Paul[25]
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

Pumpkin is a color that resembles pumpkins.

The first recorded use of pumpkin as a color name in English was in 1922.[26]

Pumpkin or orange is used with black for Halloween decorations.

Tangelo

Tangelo
Hex:F94D00

Tangelo is a shade of orange that is the color of the outer skin of the tangelo fruit.

Saffron

See main article: Saffron (color).

Saffron
Hex:F4C430
Source:Maerz and Paul[27]
Isccname:Vivid yellow

The first recorded use of saffron as a color name in English was in 1200.[28] It is considered as the most important colour in Hinduism. It is worn by the monks of the Theravada tradition.

Goldenrod

See main article: Goldenrod (color).

Goldenrod
Hex:DAA520
Isccname:Strong yellow

The web color goldenrod is a representation of the color of some of the deeper gold colored goldenrod flowers.

The first recorded use of goldenrod as a color name in English was in 1915.[29]

Hunyadi yellow

Hunyadi yellow
Hex:E8AC41
Source:ColorSwatches
Isccname:Strong orange yellow

The web color Hunyadi yellow or Pear gold is represented on the Hunyadi coat of arms.

Giants orange

Giants orange
Hex:FE5A1D
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

The color Giants orange symbolizes, along with black and cream, the San Francisco Giants baseball team.

Persimmon

Persimmon
Hex:EC5800
Source:Maerz and Paul[30]
Isccname:Vivid reddish orange

Persimmon is a color that resembles persimmons.

The first recorded use of persimmon as a color name in English was in 1922.[31]

Butterscotch

Butterscotch
Hex:E09540
Source:Pantone
Isccname:Strong orange

Butterscotch is a color that resembles butterscotch.

Persian orange

Persian orange
Hex:D99058
Source:ISCC-NBS
Isccname:Moderate orange

Persian orange is a color used in pottery and Persian carpets in Iran.

The first recorded use of Persian orange as a color name in English was in 1892.[32]

Orange pudding (milk added to pureed oranges that is mixed in a blender with flour and slowly boiled on a stovetop) is colored Persian orange, assuming no food coloring is added. Allis-Chalmers tractors have been colored Persian orange since 1928 so that, even when caked with dirt, they could still be distinguished from landscape features.[33]

Alloy orange

Alloy orange
Hex:C46210
Isccname:Deep orange

Alloy orange is one of the colors in the special set of metallic Crayola crayons called Metallic FX, the colors of which were formulated by Crayola in 2001.

Although this is supposed to be a metallic color, there is no mechanism for displaying metallic colors on a computer.

Burnt orange

Burnt orange
Hex:BF5700
Source:University of Texas at Austin[34]
Isccname:Deep reddish orange

Burnt orange has been used as a color name for this medium dark shade of orange since 1915.[35]

This color is one variation that is used as a school color of The University of Texas at Austin, Auburn University, and Virginia Tech.

Burnt orange is not a standard color; for example, it is defined differently by Auburn University[36] [37] and the University of Texas at Austin.[34] [38] The National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks use burnt orange as a secondary color,[39] and it is one of three colors of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns.[40] [41] The Chicago Bears also use it as an alternate color.

Burnt orange was used by the University of Montana prior to 1996[42] and Oklahoma State University for its football uniforms from 1973 through 1983.[43]

Burnt orange was popular in interior design in the 1970s.

Burnt orange is also used to colour cylinders filled with the refrigerant R407C.

Tiger’s eye

Tiger’s Eye
Hex:B56917
Source:Crayola
Isccname:Deep orange

The color tiger’s eye is named for the tiger’s eye gemstone, so named because its banding resembles the eye of a tiger. This color was formulated by Crayola in 1994 as part of the Gem Tones set.

Brown

See main article: Brown and Shades of brown.

Brown
Spelling:color
Hex:964B00
Isccname:Strong brown

Brown, although an independent color term, actually combines the orange hue (or close to orange) with low brightness. It can be described as an especially dark orange or, in painters' terminology, a deep shade of orange.

The first recorded use of brown as a color name in English was in about 1000 AD in the Metres of Boethius.[44] [45]

Apricot Peach

Apricot Peach
Hex:F8C8B0
Source:https://hexcolor.co/hex/F8C8B0
Isccname:Pale light grayish tangelo

Apricot Peach is a pale light grayish tangelo color.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions about the Golden Gate Bridge. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150810050111/http://goldengatebridge.org/research/facts.php#samecolor. 2015-08-10. 2020-06-12. Golden Gate Bridge.
  2. Type the word "Orange" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color will appear.
  3. Web site: - Find a Pantone Color – Quick Online Color Tool. Pantone.com. 20 November 2017. 10 September 2015. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150910082906/http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx. live.
  4. The color displayed in this color box matches the color called peach in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color peach is displayed on page 41, Plate 9, Color Sample A5.
  5. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930--McGraw Hill Page 201; Color Sample of Peach: Page 41 Plate 9 Color Sample A5
  6. The color displayed in this color box matches the color called apricot in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color apricot is displayed on page 43, Plate 10, Color Sample 7F.
  7. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930—McGraw-Hill. See page 189 for year of first recorded use of color name reference and page 43, Plate 10 Color Sample 7F for color sample of Apricot.
  8. Web site:
    1. fdbcb4 Color Information
    . 21 November 2021. colorhexa.com. 21 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211121045043/https://www.colorhexa.com/fdbcb4. live.
  9. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 199; Color Sample of Melon: Page 27 Plate 2 Color Sample D10
  10. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 192; Color Sample: Carrot Orange Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample C11
  11. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930--McGraw-Hill--Discussion of color Orange, Page 170
  12. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 200; Colour Sample: Orange Peel Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample L10.
  13. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 202; Color Sample of Princeton Orange: Page 41 Plate 9 Color Sample K11
  14. Web site: Color – Office of Communications . Princeton University . September 21, 2022 . September 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920093810/https://communications.princeton.edu/guides-tools/logo-graphic-identity#color . live .
  15. Web site: Our Palette. University of Tennessee, Knoxville–Office of Communications & Marketing. October 24, 2015. October 24, 2015. September 12, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130912174502/http://communications.utk.edu/branding/palette.php. live.
  16. Web site: Tennessee Brand Guidelines. 17 October 2023. University of Tennessee.
  17. Web site: Trademark Colors. 17 October 2023. University of Tennessee. 3 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231203234000/https://licensing.tennessee.edu/internal-departments/university-of-tennessee-color-tones/. live.
  18. News: McAlee . Hope . How orange became the University of Tennessee's official color . 25 July 2023 . . 31 August 2022 . 25 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230725230605/https://www.wate.com/sports/orange-and-white-nation/how-orange-became-the-university-of-tennessees-official-color/ . live .
  19. Gallego, Rosa; Sanz, Juan Carlos (2005). Guía de coloraciones (Gallego, Rosa; Sanz, Juan Carlos (2005). Guide to Colorations) Madrid: H. Blume.
  20. Web site: HEX color #F28500, Color name: Tangerine, RGB(242,133,0), Windows: 34290. – HTML CSS Color. 8Bytes studio, Koshevoy Dmitry. Ukraine. Nikolaev. Htmlcsscolor.com. 20 November 2017. 12 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171112191425/http://www.htmlcsscolor.com/hex/F28500. live.
  21. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 205; Color Sample: Tangerine Page 27 Plate 2 Color Sample H11
  22. http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-color/#html4 W3C TR CSS3 Color Module, HTML4 color keywords
  23. http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/cvsweb/*checkout*/xc/programs/rgb/rgb.txt?rev=1.1 X11 rgb.txt
  24. Book: Maerz, Aloys John . A Dictionary of Color . Paul, Morris Rea . 1930 . McGraw-Hill Book Company . New York . 193 .
    color sample of coral: Page 27, Plate 2, Color Sample J10.
  25. The color displayed in this color box matches the color called pumpkin in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color pumpkin is displayed on page 43, Plate 10, Color Sample H11.
  26. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 202; Color Sample of Pumpkin: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample H11
  27. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called saffron in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color saffron is displayed on page 43 Plate 10, Color Sample K8.
  28. Maerz and Paul Book: A Dictionary of Color. New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 203; Color Sample of Saffron: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample K8
  29. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 196; Color Sample of Goldenrod: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample L5
  30. The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called persimmon in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color persimmon is displayed on page 35, Plate 6, Color Sample E12.
  31. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 201; Color Sample of Persimmon: Page 35 Plate 6 Color Sample E12
  32. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 201; color sample of Persian orange: Page 43 Plate 10 Color Sample F10
  33. Now called "Persian Orange No. 1" (Guy Fay, Andy Kraushaar, Original Allis-Chalmers, 1933–1957 2000:121; My Allis-Chalmers story
  34. Web site: Color . University of Texas at Austin . April 14, 2015 . June 3, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160603190143/http://www.utexas.edu/brand-guidelines/visual-style-guide/color . live .
  35. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930—McGraw-Hill (see under Burnt Orange in Index, Page 191)
  36. Web site: Official Colors . Auburn University . August 10, 2010 . April 14, 2015 . December 24, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181224183944/http://www.auburn.edu/template/colors.html . live .
  37. The shade of burnt orange used by Auburn University is RGB 221, 85, 12; HEX #DD550C.
  38. The shade of burnt orange used by the University of Texas at Austin is Pantone 159; CMYK 0, 65, 100, 9; RGB 191, 87, 0; HEX #BF5700.
  39. Web site: Front Office Directory . San Jose Sharks . April 14, 2015 . April 7, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150407142727/http://sharks.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=99330 . live .
  40. Web site: Glidden Team Colors: 8-oz. #NFL-171A NFL Cleveland Browns Orange Interior Paint Sample . The Home Depot . April 14, 2015 .
  41. The shade of orange used by the Cleveland Browns is RGB 240, 93, 53.
  42. News: UM President Dennison reflects on his legacy, MT . The Associated Press News Service . May 20, 2010 . Chelsi . Moy . The Missoulian . Missoula, Montana .
  43. News: It's Official! OSU's True School Color Will Be "PMS 166' Other Orange – Hues Taboo . The Daily Oklahoman . November 3, 1984 . Jim . Killackey . Stillwater, Oklahoma .
  44. Web site: brown, adj.. Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. 20 April 2011.
  45. Maerz and Paul, Page 191