<named-color>

The <named-color> CSS data type is the name of a color, such as red, blue, black, or lightseagreen. Syntactically, a <named-color> is an <ident>.

A <named-color> value can be used anywhere a <color> can be used.

Syntax

color: red;
color: orange;
color: tan;
color: rebeccapurple;
color: transparent;

Value

CSS Level 1 values

CSS Level 1 only included 16 basic colors, called the VGA colors as they were taken from the set of displayable colors on VGA graphics cards.

Keyword RGB hex value Sample
black #000000
silver #c0c0c0
gray #808080
white #ffffff
maroon #800000
red #ff0000
purple #800080
fuchsia #ff00ff
green #008000
lime #00ff00
olive #808000
yellow #ffff00
navy #000080
blue #0000ff
teal #008080
aqua #00ffff

CSS Level 2 values

The following value is defined in CSS Level 2.

Keyword RGB hex value Sample
orange #ffa500

CSS Level 3 values

Although various colors not in the specification (mostly adapted from the X11 colors list) were supported by early browsers, it wasn't until SVG 1.0 and CSS Colors Level 3 that they were formally defined. They are called the extended color keywords, the X11 colors, or the SVG colors.

Keyword RGB hex value Sample
aliceblue #f0f8ff
antiquewhite #faebd7
aquamarine #7fffd4
azure #f0ffff
beige #f5f5dc
bisque #ffe4c4
blanchedalmond #ffebcd
blueviolet #8a2be2
brown #a52a2a
burlywood #deb887
cadetblue #5f9ea0
chartreuse #7fff00
chocolate #d2691e
coral #ff7f50
cornflowerblue #6495ed
cornsilk #fff8dc
crimson #dc143c
cyan
(synonym of aqua)
#00ffff
darkblue #00008b
darkcyan #008b8b
darkgoldenrod #b8860b
darkgray #a9a9a9
darkgreen #006400
darkgrey #a9a9a9
darkkhaki #bdb76b
darkmagenta #8b008b
darkolivegreen #556b2f
darkorange #ff8c00
darkorchid #9932cc
darkred #8b0000
darksalmon #e9967a
darkseagreen #8fbc8f
darkslateblue #483d8b
darkslategray #2f4f4f
darkslategrey #2f4f4f
darkturquoise #00ced1
darkviolet #9400d3
deeppink #ff1493
deepskyblue #00bfff
dimgray #696969
dimgrey #696969
dodgerblue #1e90ff
firebrick #b22222
floralwhite #fffaf0
forestgreen #228b22
gainsboro #dcdcdc
ghostwhite #f8f8ff
gold #ffd700
goldenrod #daa520
greenyellow #adff2f
grey #808080
honeydew #f0fff0
hotpink #ff69b4
indianred #cd5c5c
indigo #4b0082
ivory #fffff0
khaki #f0e68c
lavender #e6e6fa
lavenderblush #fff0f5
lawngreen #7cfc00
lemonchiffon #fffacd
lightblue #add8e6
lightcoral #f08080
lightcyan #e0ffff
lightgoldenrodyellow #fafad2
lightgray #d3d3d3
lightgreen #90ee90
lightgrey #d3d3d3
lightpink #ffb6c1
lightsalmon #ffa07a
lightseagreen #20b2aa
lightskyblue #87cefa
lightslategray #778899
lightslategrey #778899
lightsteelblue #b0c4de
lightyellow #ffffe0
limegreen #32cd32
linen #faf0e6
magenta
(synonym of fuchsia)
#ff00ff
mediumaquamarine #66cdaa
mediumblue #0000cd
mediumorchid #ba55d3
mediumpurple #9370db
mediumseagreen #3cb371
mediumslateblue #7b68ee
mediumspringgreen #00fa9a
mediumturquoise #48d1cc
mediumvioletred #c71585
midnightblue #191970
mintcream #f5fffa
mistyrose #ffe4e1
moccasin #ffe4b5
navajowhite #ffdead
oldlace #fdf5e6
olivedrab #6b8e23
orangered #ff4500
orchid #da70d6
palegoldenrod #eee8aa
palegreen #98fb98
paleturquoise #afeeee
palevioletred #db7093
papayawhip #ffefd5
peachpuff #ffdab9
peru #cd853f
pink #ffc0cb
plum #dda0dd
powderblue #b0e0e6
rosybrown #bc8f8f
royalblue #4169e1
saddlebrown #8b4513
salmon #fa8072
sandybrown #f4a460
seagreen #2e8b57
seashell #fff5ee
sienna #a0522d
skyblue #87ceeb
slateblue #6a5acd
slategray #708090
slategrey #708090
snow #fffafa
springgreen #00ff7f
steelblue #4682b4
tan #d2b48c
thistle #d8bfd8
tomato #ff6347
transparent See transparent.
turquoise #40e0d0
violet #ee82ee
wheat #f5deb3
whitesmoke #f5f5f5
yellowgreen #9acd32

transparent

The transparent keyword represents a fully transparent color. This makes the background behind the colored item completely visible. Technically, transparent is a shortcut for rgba(0,0,0,0).

To prevent unexpected behavior, such as in a <gradient>, the current CSS spec states that transparent should be calculated in the alpha-premultiplied color space. However, be aware that older browsers may treat it as black with an alpha value of 0.

The transparent keyword wasn't a true color in CSS Level 2 (Revision 1). It was a special keyword that could be used instead of a regular <color> value on two CSS properties: background and border. It was essentially added to allow developers to override an inherited solid color. With the advent of alpha channels in CSS Colors Level 3, transparent was redefined as a true color. It can now be used wherever a <color> value can be used.

CSS Level 4 values

CSS Colors Level 4 added the rebeccapurple keyword to honor web pioneer Eric Meyer.

Keyword RGB hex value Sample
rebeccapurple #663399

Description

All names specify a color in the sRGB color space. Although the names more or less describe their respective colors, they are essentially artificial, without a strict rationale behind the terms used.

The color keywords all represent plain, solid colors without transparency.

Several keywords are aliases for each other:

  • aqua / cyan
  • fuchsia / magenta
  • darkgray / darkgrey
  • darkslategray / darkslategrey
  • dimgray / dimgrey
  • lightgray / lightgrey
  • lightslategray / lightslategrey
  • gray / grey
  • slategray / slategrey

Though many keywords have been adapted from X11, their RGB values may differ from the corresponding color on X11 systems since manufacturers sometimes tailor X11 colors to their specific hardware.

Examples

Using named colors

HTML

<div id="container">
  <div id="one"></div>
  <div id="two"></div>
  <div id="three"></div>
</div>

CSS

#container {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-around;
  background-color: darkslateblue;
  padding: 20px;
}

#container > div {
  height: 100px;
  width: 100px;
  margin: 3px;
  border: 2px solid black;
}

#one {
  background-color: red;
}

#two {
  background-color: lavender;
}

#three {
  background-color: transparent;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
CSS Color Module Level 4
# named-colors

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also

  • <color>: the data type of whose definition <named-color> is a constituent part.