From the earliest LEGO®* bricks of the 1940s to today’s vast Pick a Brick palette, colour has always played a huge role in bringing creations to life. Whether you’re hunting for the perfect shade of blue for a spaceship, matching bricks for a castle wall, or finally learning why LEGO® fans call certain grey pieces “Bley”, understanding LEGO® colour names can make building, collecting, and buying parts much easier. And when it comes to education, this guide can be a great way to help expand vocabulary.
In this Colour Guide, we’ve brought together the most common modern colours, important retired colours, and LEGO® fan colour terminology into one easy-to-use reference. So grab a handful of bricks and let’s dive into the colourful world of LEGO®!
If you would like a more comprehensive version, along with colour swatches head to the Bricklink Colour Guide (this is EPIC and much more comprehensive)
Table 1: LEGO® Colour Guide (Most Common Current Colours)
|
BrickLink Name |
LEGO Official Name |
Notes |
|
White |
White |
One of LEGO®’s original colours |
|
Black |
Black |
One of LEGO®’s original colours |
|
Red |
Bright Red |
Primary LEGO® red |
|
Blue |
Blue |
Standard LEGO® blue |
|
Yellow |
Bright Yellow |
Classic LEGO® yellow |
|
Green |
Green |
Standard LEGO® green |
|
Orange |
Bright Orange |
Current primary orange |
|
Brown |
Earth Orange |
Discontinued legacy brown |
|
Reddish Brown |
Reddish Brown |
Most common modern brown |
|
Dark Brown |
Dark Brown |
Deep chocolate brown |
|
Tan |
Brick Yellow |
Standard tan colour |
|
Dark Tan |
Sand Yellow |
Popular for military, architecture and terrain |
|
Light Nougat |
Light Nougat |
Common minifigure skin tone |
|
Nougat |
Nougat |
Medium skin tone |
|
Medium Nougat |
Medium Nougat |
Widely used skin tone |
|
Light Bluish Gray |
Medium Stone Grey |
One of the most common colours in modern LEGO® |
|
Dark Bluish Gray |
Dark Stone Grey |
Often used with Light Bluish Grey |
|
Dark Red |
New Dark Red |
Popular with modular buildings |
|
Dark Orange |
Dark Orange |
Rich orange tone |
|
Bright Light Orange |
Flame Yellowish Orange |
Light pastel orange |
|
Bright Light Yellow |
Cool Yellow |
Very pale yellow |
|
Lime |
Lime |
Bright green-yellow |
|
Medium Lime |
Medium Lime |
Slightly darker than Lime |
|
Olive Green |
Olive Green |
Military and landscaping favourite |
|
Dark Green |
Dark Green |
Deep forest green |
|
Bright Green |
Bright Green |
Vibrant green |
|
Sand Green |
Sand Green |
One of the most sought-after LEGO® colours |
|
Dark Turquoise |
Dark Turquoise |
Classic AFOL favourite |
|
Aqua |
Aqua |
Bright blue-green |
|
Dark Blue |
Dark Blue |
Deep navy-like blue |
|
Medium Azure |
Medium Azure |
Bright modern blue |
|
Dark Azure |
Dark Azure |
Popular architectural colour |
|
Medium Blue |
Medium Blue |
Mid-range blue |
|
Sand Blue |
Sand Blue |
Muted historical blue |
|
Bright Light Blue |
Bright Light Blue |
Very pale blue |
|
Lavender |
Lavender |
Soft pastel purple |
|
Medium Lavender |
Medium Lavender |
Deeper purple pastel |
|
Purple |
Purple |
Standard purple |
|
Dark Purple |
Dark Purple |
Rich modern purple |
|
Pink |
Pink |
Standard LEGO pink |
|
Bright Pink |
Bright Pink |
Bright modern pink |
|
Coral |
Vibrant Coral |
Current fashion-oriented colour |
Table 2: Legacy Colours Every LEGO® Fan Should Know
These colours are no longer widely produced, but AFOLs encounter them frequently in older collections.
|
BrickLink Name |
Years Produced |
Notes |
|
Light Gray |
1954-2007 |
Pre-“bley” light grey |
|
Dark Gray |
1961-2006 |
Pre-“bley” dark grey |
|
Very Light Grey |
1997-2004 |
Rare colour with limited production |
|
Very Light Bluish Grey |
2004-2013 |
Transitional light grey |
|
Sand Red |
2001-2004 |
Highly collectible |
|
Salmon |
1997-1999 |
Rare pink-orange tone |
|
Light Salmon |
1997-2002 |
Rare pastel colour |
|
Earth Orange |
1982-2005 |
Classic dark orange-brown |
|
Rust |
1979-2005 |
Popular vintage colour |
|
Light Brown |
2002-2006 |
Discontinued brown |
|
Neon Orange |
1997-1999 |
Fluorescent colour |
|
Neon Green |
1997-1999 |
Fluorescent colour |
|
Light Yellow |
1994-2005 |
Soft pale yellow |
|
Lemon |
1992 |
Extremely short-lived colour |
Table 3: LEGO® Fan Slang for Colours
|
Fan Term |
Meaning |
|
Bley |
Collective nickname for Bluish Grey colours |
|
Light Bley |
Light Bluish Grey |
|
Dark Bley |
Dark Bluish Grey |
|
Old Grey |
Classic Light Grey used before the colour change |
|
Old Dark Grey |
Dark Grey used before the colour change |
|
Flesh |
Older AFOL nickname for Light Nougat |
|
Classic Colours |
Original colours such as Red, Blue, Yellow, White and Black |
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