1. Clashes between web and X11 colors in the CSS color scheme

2. Color name chart

3. Color variations
     Shades of gray    Numbered variants    Prefixed variants    Nuances with different hue    Tints and shades with different lightness    Tones with different saturation  

4. Derived lists

5. See also

6. References

7. External links

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 <X11root>/lib/X11/rgb.txt. The web colors list is descended from it but differs for certain color names.^[1]

Color names are not standardized by Xlib or the X11 protocol. The list does not show continuity either in selected color values or in color names, and some color triplets have multiple names. Despite this, graphic designers and others got used to them, making it practically impossible to introduce a different list. In earlier releases of X11 (prior to the introduction of Xcms), server implementors were encouraged to modify the RGB values in the reference color database to account for gamma correction.^[2]

As of X.Org Release 7.4 rgb.txt is no longer included in the roll up release,^[3] and the list is built directly into the server.^[4] The optional module xorg/app/rgb contains the stand-alone rgb.txt file.

The list first shipped with X10 release 3 (X10R3) on 7 June 1986, having been checked into RCS by Jim Gettys in 1985.^[5] The same list was in X11R1 on 18 September 1987. Approximately the full list as is available today shipped with X11R4 on 29 January 1989, with substantial additions by Paul Ravelling (who added colors based on Sinclair Paints samples), John C. Thomas (who added colors based on a set of 72 Crayola crayons he had on hand) and Jim Fulton (who reconciled contributions to produce the X11R4 list). The project was running DEC VT240 terminals at the time, so would have worked to that device.^[6]

In some applications multipart names are written with spaces, in others joined together, often in camel case. They are usually matched insensitive of case and the X Server source code contains spaced aliases for most entries; this article uses spaces and uppercase initials except where variants with spaces are not specified in the actual code.

Clashes between web and X11 colors in the CSS color scheme

The first versions of Mosaic and Netscape Navigator used the X11 colors as the basis for the web colors list, as both were originally X applications. The W3C specifications SVG and CSS level 3 module Color eventually adopted the X11 list with some changes.^[7] The present W3C list is a superset of the 16 “VGA colors” defined in HTML 3.2 and CSS level 1.

Perhaps most unusual of the color clashes between X11 and W3C is the case of "Gray" and its variants. In HTML, "Gray" is specifically reserved for the 128 triplet (50% gray) {{color sample|rgb(128,128,128)}}. However, in X11, "gray" was assigned to the 190 triplet (74.5%) {{color sample|rgb(190, 190, 190)}}, which is close to W3C "Silver" at 192 (75.3%) {{color sample|silver}}, and had "Light Gray" at 211 (83%) {{color sample|rgb(211,211,211)}} and "Dark Gray" at 169 (66%) {{color sample|rgb(169,169,169)}} counterparts. As a result, the combined CSS 3.0 color list that prevails on the web today produces "Dark Gray" {{color sample|rgb(169,169,169)}} as a significantly lighter tone than plain "Gray" {{color sample|rgb(128,128,128)}}, because "Dark Gray" was descended from X11 – for it did not exist in HTML nor CSS level 1^[8] – while "Gray" was descended from HTML. Even in the current draft for CSS 4.0, dark gray continues to be a lighter shade than gray.^[9] Some browsers such as Netscape Navigator insisted on an "a" in any "Gray" except for "Light Grey".

Recent X releases also support the W3C definitions. In X11, the original definitions have been preserved (so "Dark Gray" remains a darker shade of "Gray"), but for every conflicting name pair, "Web" and additional "X11" prefixes have been added to ease disambiguation after the merger. The "X11" prefix is an alias for the non-prefixed version, i.e. "X11 Gray" = "Gray" ≠ "Web Gray". The W3C also defined a color that is equal to X11's "Green", but called it "Lime". In X11, this is simply called "Lime", as no such name existed before. It aliases to "Green", i.e. "Lime" = "Green" = "X11 Green" ≠ "Web Green".

Color name chart

The following chart presents the standardized X11 color names from the X.org source code.^[11] The list of names accepted by browsers following W3C standards^[12] slightly differs as explained above. The table does not show numbered gray and brightness variants as described below. Actual rgb.txt files and other color databases or palettes may differ since they are freely editable by vendors and users. The table shows component values in several notations of the RGB color space, i.e. RGB, HSL and HSV, conversions are done assuming sRGB color space.

Color variations

Shades of gray

The complete rgb.txt defines 101 shades from 'Gray0' (black) up to 'Gray100' (white) in addition to 'Gray' and its variants listed above. The shades are apparently defined by the formula GrayN := round(N% × 255) resulting in e.g. 'Gray96' {{color sample|#F5F5F5}}, which happens to be the same as 'White Smoke'. Similarly 'Dim Gray' is the same as 'Gray41' {{color sample|#696969}}.

On the other hand, 'Gray' {{color sample|#BEBEBE}} lies between 'Gray74' {{color sample|#BDBDBD}} and 'Gray75' {{color sample|#BFBFBF}}; 'Dark Gray' {{color sample|#A9A9A9}} is not the same as 'Gray66' {{color sample|#A8A8A8}}; and 'Light Gray' {{color sample|#D3D3D3}} is not the same as 'Gray83' {{color sample|#D4D4D4}}.

These shades are not included in W3C specifications, although drafts for level 4 of the CSS Color module include a similar function gray().

They are still coded without 'Grey' alternatives, but with no space before the digit.

Numbered variants

For 78 colors (not counting grays), rgb.txt offers four variants "color1", "color2", "color3", and "color4", with "color1" sometimes corresponding to "color", so e.g. "Snow1" is the same as "Snow". Unlike base colors, e.g. cadet blue and CadetBlue, these are only coded without spaces, e.g. CadetBlue3. These variations are neither supported by popular browsers nor adopted by W3C standards. Whether or not a certain color has such variants seems random.

If "color1" is not the same as "color{{-"}}, the base color is usually darker. That means its brightness in HSB color notation is less than 100%; about 30 of the base colors are fully bright. The four variants (1…4) have rounded brightness values of 100%, 93%, 80% and 55%, respectively. Their hue and saturation are usually the same except for rounding. In some cases they differ from the base color, though, which may indicate that these variants were specified with alternate definitions of the bases in mind, i.e. their values were adapted to a certain monitor which was commonly done by vendors until the 1990s.

The fixed brightness settings correspond closely to these formulae to determine the RGB values:

color1 := color × 100%

color2 := color1 × 93.2%

color3 := color1 × 80.4%

color4 := color1 × 54.8%

Examples:

• {{color sample|#EEEE00}} "Yellow 2" (238, 238, 0) is based on {{color sample|#FFFF00}} "Yellow" (255, 255, 0) with 255 × 0.932 = 237.66.
• {{color sample|#CDCDC1}} "Ivory 3" (205, 205, 193) is explained by {{color sample|#FFFFF0}} "Ivory" (255, 255, 240) where 255 × 0.804 = 205.02 and 240 × 0.804 = 192.96.
• {{color sample|#838B8B}} "Azure 4" (131, 139, 139) is close to {{color sample|#F0FFFF}} "Azure" (240, 255, 255) values transformed as 255 × 0.548 = 139.74 and 240 × 0.548 = 131.52.

Prefixed variants

Some color names appear to be brightness or saturation modifications of others because they bear prefixes such as Dark, Light, Medium, Pale or Deep, but there is no systematic variation apparent. Several sets, however, feature a Dark variant with 55% brightness and some have their Medium at about 80%.

"Light Goldenrod Yellow" and "Dark Olive Green" are special, because there are no corresponding color entries without Dark and Light prefixes.

Nuances with different hue

Several groups of colors share the same lightness or brightness and saturation. These nuances differ only by hue.

100%/25%

0° {{Color box|#7F0000|border=darkgray}} (Web) Maroon, 60° {{Color box|#808000|border=darkgray}} Olive, 120° {{Color box|#008000|border=darkgray}} Green, 180° {{Color box|#008080|border=darkgray}} Teal, 240° {{Color box|#000080|border=darkgray}} Navy (Blue), 300° {{Color box|#7F007F|border=darkgray}} (Web) Purple

100%/27%

0° {{Color box|#8B0000|border=darkgray}} Dark Red, 180° {{Color box|#008B8B|border=darkgray}} Dark Cyan, 240° {{Color box|#00008B|border=darkgray}} Dark Blue, 300° {{Color box|#8B008B|border=darkgray}} Dark Magenta

100%/41%

181° {{Color box|#00CED1|border=darkgray}} Dark Turquoise, 282° {{Color box|#9400D3|border=darkgray}} Dark Violet

100%/49%

90° {{Color box|#7CFC00|border=darkgray}} Lawn Green, 157° {{Color box|#00FA9A|border=darkgray}} Medium Spring Green

61%/50%

80° {{Color box|#9932CC|border=darkgray}} Dark Orchid, 120° {{Color box|#32CD32|border=darkgray}} Lime Green, 80° {{Color box|#9ACD32|border=darkgray}} Yellow Green

100%/50%

0° {{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} Red, 16° {{Color box|#FF4500|border=darkgray}} Orange Red, 33° {{Color box|#FF8C00|border=darkgray}} Dark Orange, 39° {{Color box|#FFA500|border=darkgray}} Orange, 51° {{Color box|#FFD700|border=darkgray}} Gold, 60° {{Color box|#FFFF00|border=darkgray}} Yellow, 90° {{Color box|#7FFF00|border=darkgray}} Chartreuse, 120° {{Color box|#00FF00|border=darkgray}} (Lime) Green, 150° {{Color box|#00FF7F|border=darkgray}} Spring Green, 180° {{Color box|#00FFFF|border=darkgray}} Aqua / Cyan, 195° {{Color box|#00BFFF|border=darkgray}} Deep Sky Blue, 240° {{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}} Blue, 300° {{Color box|#FF00FF|border=darkgray}} Fuchsia / Magenta

25%/65%

0° {{Color box|#BC8F8F|border=darkgray}} Rosy Brown, 120° {{Color box|#8FBC8F|border=darkgray}} Dark Sea Green

59–60%/65%

260° {{Color box|#9370DB|border=darkgray}} Medium Purple, 302° {{Color box|#DA70D6|border=darkgray}} Orchid, 340° {{Color box|#DB7093|border=darkgray}} Pale Violet Red

100%/86%

38° {{Color box|#FFE4B5|border=darkgray}} Moccasin, 351° {{Color box|#FFB6C1|border=darkgray}} Light Pink

100%/90%

36° {{Color box|#FFEBCD|border=darkgray}} Blanched Almond, 54° {{Color box|#FFFACD|border=darkgray}} Lemon Chiffon

67%/94%

30° {{Color box|#FAF0E6|border=darkgray}} Linen, 240° {{Color box|#E6E6FA|border=darkgray}} Lavender

100%/94%

6° {{Color box|#FFE4E1|border=darkgray}} Misty Rose, 60° {{Color box|#FFFFE0|border=darkgray}} Light Yellow, 180° {{Color box|#E0FFFF|border=darkgray}} Light Cyan

100%/97%

25° {{Color box|#FFF5EE|border=darkgray}} Seashell, 40° {{Color box|#FFFAF0|border=darkgray}} Floral White, 60° {{Color box|#FFFFF0|border=darkgray}} Ivory, 120° {{Color box|#F0FFF0|border=darkgray}} Honeydew, 180° {{Color box|#F0FFFF|border=darkgray}} Azure, 208° {{Color box|#F0F8FF|border=darkgray}} Alice Blue, 340° {{Color box|#FFF0F5|border=darkgray}} Lavender Blush

100%/99%

0° {{Color box|#FFFAFA|border=darkgray}} Snow, 240° {{Color box|#F8F8FF|border=darkgray}} Ghost White

Tints and shades with different lightness

Several groups of colors share the same hue and HSL saturation. Tints are lighter than a base color, shades are darker.

0°/0%

0% {{Color box|#000000|border=darkgray}} Black, 41% {{Color box|#696969|border=darkgray}} Dim Gray, 50% {{Color box|#808080|border=darkgray}} (Web) Gray, 66% {{Color box|#A9A9A9|border=darkgray}} Dark Gray, 75% {{Color box|#BEBEBE|border=darkgray}} (X11) Gray, 75% {{Color box|#C0C0C0|border=darkgray}} Silver, 83% {{Color box|#D3D3D3|border=darkgray}} Light Gray, 86% {{Color box|#DCDCDC|border=darkgray}} Gainsboro, 96% {{Color box|#F5F5F5|border=darkgray}} White Smoke, 100% {{Color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} White

0°/100%

25% {{Color box|#7F0000|border=darkgray}} (Web) Maroon, 27% {{Color box|#8B0000|border=darkgray}} Dark Red, 50% {{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} Red, 99% {{Color box|#FFFAFA|border=darkgray}} Snow

16°/100%

50% {{Color box|#FF4500|border=darkgray}} Orange Red, 66% {{Color box|#FF7F50|border=darkgray}} Coral

33°/100%

50% {{Color box|#FF8C00|border=darkgray}} Dark Orange, 88% {{Color box|#FFE4C4|border=darkgray}} Bisque

36°/100%

84% {{Color box|#FFDEAD|border=darkgray}} Navajo White, 90% {{Color box|#FFEBCD|border=darkgray}} Blanched Almond

60°/100%

25% {{Color box|#808000|border=darkgray}} Olive, 50% {{Color box|#FFFF00|border=darkgray}} Yellow, 94% {{Color box|#FFFFE0|border=darkgray}} Light Yellow, 97% {{Color box|#FFFFF0|border=darkgray}} Ivory

80°/61%

35% {{Color box|#6B8E23|border=darkgray}} Olive Drab, 50% {{Color box|#9ACD32|border=darkgray}} Yellow Green

90°/100%

49% {{Color box|#7CFC00|border=darkgray}} Lawn Green, 50% {{Color box|#7FFF00|border=darkgray}} Chartreuse

120°/61%

34% {{Color box|#228B22|border=darkgray}} Forest Green, 50% {{Color box|#32CD32|border=darkgray}} Lime Green

120°/100%

20% {{Color box|#006400|border=darkgray}} Dark Green, 25% {{Color box|#008000|border=darkgray}} (Web) Green, 50% {{Color box|#00FF00|border=darkgray}} (X11) Green / Lime, 97% {{Color box|#F0FFF0|border=darkgray}} Honeydew

146–147°/50%

36% {{Color box|#2E8B57|border=darkgray}} Sea Green, 47% {{Color box|#3CB371|border=darkgray}} Medium Sea Green

150°/100%

50% {{Color box|#00FF7F|border=darkgray}} Spring Green, 98% {{Color box|#F5FFFA|border=darkgray}} Mint Cream

180–181°/100%

25% {{Color box|#008080|border=darkgray}} Teal, 27% {{Color box|#008B8B|border=darkgray}} Dark Cyan, 41% {{Color box|#00CED1|border=darkgray}} Dark Turquoise, 50% {{Color box|#00FFFF|border=darkgray}} Aqua / Cyan, 94% {{Color box|#E0FFFF|border=darkgray}} Light Cyan, 97% {{Color box|#F0FFFF|border=darkgray}} Azure

240°/100%

25% {{Color box|#000080|border=darkgray}} Navy Blue, 27% {{Color box|#00008B|border=darkgray}} Dark Blue, 40% {{Color box|#0000CD|border=darkgray}} Medium Blue, 50% {{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}} Blue, 99% {{Color box|#F8F8FF|border=darkgray}} Ghost White

300°/100%

25% {{Color box|#7F007F|border=darkgray}} (Web) Purple, 27% {{Color box|#8B008B|border=darkgray}} Dark Magenta, 50% {{Color box|#FF00FF|border=darkgray}} Fuchsia / Magenta

328–330°/100%

54% {{Color box|#FF1493|border=darkgray}} Deep Pink, 71% {{Color box|#FF69B4|border=darkgray}} Hot Pink

350–351°/100%

88% {{Color box|#FFC0CB|border=darkgray}} Pink, 86% {{Color box|#FFB6C1|border=darkgray}} Light Pink

Tones with different saturation

Some pairs of colors share the same lightness and hue. These tones differ only by saturation. Tones are far less common in the X11 set than nuances, tints and shades.

0°/41%

0% {{Color box|#696969|border=darkgray}} Dim Gray, 59% {{Color box|#A52A2A|border=darkgray}} Brown

120°/50%

61% {{Color box|#32CD32|border=darkgray}} Lime Green, 100% {{Color box|#00FF00|border=darkgray}} Green / Lime

180°/25%

25% {{Color box|#2F4F4F|border=darkgray}} Dark Slate Gray, 100% {{Color box|#008080|border=darkgray}} Teal

240°/27%

64% {{Color box|#191970|border=darkgray}} Midnight Blue, 100% {{Color box|#00008B|border=darkgray}} Dark Blue

Derived lists

The Printer Working Group (PWG) of the IEEE publishes a standard, PWG 5101.1, whose mandatory color names are based upon [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3805 RFC 3805], successor to [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1759 RFC 1759] which imported the functional color names other, unknown and transparent alongside seven basic colors from ISO 10175 (DPA) and ISO 10180 (SPDL), and JTAPI^[13]. This standard has four variants for each non-monochromatic color: clear (50% transparent), dark, light and the default. Wherever possible, the values are the same as in the W3C adaptation of the X11 list, except for Turquoise which is {{Color box|#30D5C8|border=darkgray}} instead of {{Color box|#40E0D0|border=darkgray}}. Missing variant values have been added systematically. Buff and Mustard are completely new color names. Light Black and Gray correspond to the same color.

See also

• List of colors
• XPM (image format)

References

External links

• X-Server source code with built-in colors
• “Extended Color Keywords”, CSS Color Module Level 3, a W3C Recommendation
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080502201401/http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/cvsweb/checkout/xc/programs/rgb/rgb.txt?rev=1.1 X11 rgb.txt 1.1] at Xfree.86.org, 1994, and [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928030522/http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/cvsweb/xc/programs/rgb/rgb.txt.diff?r1=1.2&r2=1.1 X11 rgb.txt 1.2], 2005 (excluding 96 aliases).
• Aubrey Jaffer. “Color-Name Dictionaries”. Jaffer's page includes extensive information about and comparisons between color-name dictionaries.

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