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 or yellow that looks like brown. In

color theory In the visual arts, color theory is the body of practical guidance for color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. Color terminology based on the color wheel and its geometry separates colors into primary color, seconda ...

, a '' shade'' is a pure color mixed with black (or having a lower

lightness Lightness is a visual perception of the luminance (L) of an object. It is often judged relative to a similarly lit object. In colorimetry and color appearance models, lightness is a prediction of how an illuminated color will appear to a stan ...

). 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 An eggshell is the outer covering of a hard-shelled egg and of some forms of eggs with soft outer coats. Diversity Worm eggs Nematode eggs present a two layered structure: an external vitellin layer made of chitin that confers mechanical ...

, ivory,

Navajo white Navajo White is an orangish white color, or pastel yellow orange, and derives its name from its similarity to the background color of the Navajo Nation flag. The name "Navajo White" is usually only used when referring to paint. Despite its name ...

, 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 has 315. 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.

White

''White'' is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive

cone cell Cone cells, or cones, are photoreceptor cells in the retinas of vertebrate eyes including the human eye. They respond differently to light of different wavelengths, and the combination of their responses is responsible for color vision. Cone ...

s 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

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

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

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

White smoke

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.

White solid

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.

Baby powder

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

Snow

The web color ''snow'' is displayed at left. The first recorded use of ''snow'' as a color name in English was in 1000. Snow Scene at Shipka Pass 1

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

Ivory

''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. Bimbisar welcoming Buddha Roundel 30 buddha ivory tusk

The color ''ivory'' was included as one of the

X11 colors In computing, on the X Window System, X11 color names are represented in a simple text file, which maps certain strings to RGB color values. It was traditionally shipped with every X11 installation, hence the name, and is usually located in ''<X ...

when they were formulated in 1987.

Floral white

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

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

seashell A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...

s. The first recorded use of ''seashell'' as a color name in English was in 1926. Seashell unknown 2

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

Bone white

''Bone white'' is a yellowish-gray shade of white which represents the color of natural, unbleached bones.

Cornsilk

''Cornsilk'' is a color that is a representation of the color of

cornsilk Corn silk is a common ''Stigma maydis'', the shiny, thread-like, weak fibers that grow as part of ears of corn (maize); the tuft or tassel of silky fibers that protrude from the tip of the ear of corn. The ear is enclosed in modified leaves called ...

. The first recorded use of ''cornsilk'' as a color name in English was in 1927. Cornsilk 7091

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

Old lace

''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 Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

skin type in art.

Cream

''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. Strawberry ice cream dessert

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

Beige

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. Beige cat

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

Parchment

Displayed at left is the color parchment. Parchment from goatskin

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

Antique white

''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

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.

Eggshell

The color ''eggshell'' is displayed at left. The color ''eggshell'' is a representation of the average color of chicken eggs.

Dutch white

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

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). Crocuta crocuta(Cranial bone) new

Vanilla

The color ''vanilla'' is a rich tint of off-white as well as a medium pale tint of yellow. Vanilla1web

The first recorded use of ''vanilla'' as a color name in English was in 1925.

Flax

The color ''flax'' is displayed at left. Flax (Linum usitassimum)

The first recorded use of ''flax'' as a color name in English was in 1915. 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

Navajo white

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

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

Alabaster

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

References

{{Color shades