Orange (colour)

See also Orange for other meanings of the word.

The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 620-585 nanometres. It is the same colour as the fruit for which it was named.

With natural colouring materials such as paints or crayons, orange is a secondary colour that can be derived from primary colours by mixing red and yellow.

• Orange is the national colour of The Netherlands due to their monarchs originating from the principality of Orange-Nassau. It's the primary colour of many of the national sports teams. The nickname of the Dutch national soccer team is Oranje, which is Dutch for orange.

• Orange signifies Protestantism in Northern Ireland and Hinduism in India.

• Orange is the party colour of
  • People First Party, Republic of China (Taiwan)
  • New Democratic Party, Canada
  • June List, Sweden
  • Bharatiya Janata Party, India

Variations of the colour orange

The colour orange is often used for visibility enhancement. Hats, garments, vests and accessories are available for hunters and highway workers and others whose safety relies on being seen from a distance. The standard colour, international or blaze orange is principally used and is thought to provide optimum contrast to colours existing in nature. Telephone and fiber optic cables are often encased in orange polyethylene tubing.

The Golden Gate Bridge is painted international orange:

Orange pigments are largely in the ochre or cadmium families.

Brown is actually on the orange part of the colour spectrum.

Burnt orange is one variation that is used as a school colour of The University of Texas at Austin. Here is a sample of burnt orange:

Color Coordinates