By , director of the Dutch Colour Institute (SNKI) · Published 21 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026

NCS 1950 or 2050: what is the difference?

The short answer

NCS 2050 is the collection of 1950 standard colours plus 100 new ones from 2022, mainly light tints with low chromaticness. Existing codes remain valid.

Older fan decks and old specifications say NCS 1950; new products say NCS 2050. It is the same system. The difference is the number of standard colours: 100 were added in 2022. Here you can read what changed, what stayed the same and whether your old fan deck is still usable.

What changed in 2022

In 2022 NCS Colour released 100 new standard colours. The collection grew from 1950 to 2050 colours. According to NCS, it was the first time since 2004 that standard colours were added.

Until 2022 · NCS 1950
1950 colours

The standard collection before the extension

2022 · Extension
+100 colours

Mainly low chromaticness, yellow to red

Today · NCS 2050
2050 colours

Same notation and same system

The new colours lie in the low-chromaticness area: tinted whites, greige, beige, brown and pink, mainly in the hues between yellow and red. According to NCS, low-chromatic colours are a constant among the best-selling colours. New production technology made samples with such low chromaticness possible that were not in the standard before. NCS developed the colours together with colour professionals worldwide.

NCS divided the 100 colours into four groups:

White DelightTinted whites with a slight chromaticness.
Great GreysMuted greige shades between beige and grey.
Nordic MidtonesMidtones, slightly darker and more colourful than the other groups.
Blackish EleganceModern, dark colours.

NCS also added two new white nuances: 0601 and 1001. According to NCS, they correspond to best-selling whites that used to fall outside the standard. They have 1% chromaticness and 6 or 10% blackness.

S 0601-Y
nuance 0601, yellow
S 0601-B
nuance 0601, blue
S 1001-Y
nuance 1001, yellow

What stayed the same

  • The notation. S 1050-Y90R means the same in the 1950 and the 2050 collection: 10% blackness, 50% chromaticness and hue Y90R.
  • The existing colours. The 100 new ones were added; the 1950 existing colours stayed in the collection.
  • The system. Colour circle, colour triangle and the six elementary colours have not changed.

A specification or colour scheme with a code from the 1950 collection is therefore still valid. You simply order that colour as a loose sample or look it up in a 2050 fan deck.

Which products have the new colours

With the extension, NCS updated the design tools with standard samples: NCS Index, NCS Atlas, NCS Block, NCS Album and NCS Box. They are now called Index 2050, Atlas 2050, Block 2050, Album 2050 and Box 2050. Besides the new colours, the Index 2050 also got a new sorting.

The NCS Index Glossy, the high-gloss version, exists in the version with 1950 colours. The 100 new colours are not in it.

Interior 84, Exterior 84, Inspire 1058 and WS 160 are selections with their own fixed choice of colours. They are not meant to show the whole collection.

Is your old 1950 fan deck still usable?

For the codes, yes. But two things come into play.

  1. 1The new colours are missingIf a design contains a colour with nuance 0601 or 1001, or another colour from 2022, you will not find it in a 1950 fan deck. You are then looking for a colour that is not there.
  2. 2Samples ageLight, dirt, grease from fingers and wear slowly change samples. In whites and light colours, yellowing shows first. A fan deck that lay open on a desk or in a van for years is a less reliable reference.

So use an old fan deck for searching, not for approving a colour.

How to keep your fan deck reliableAs far as we know, NCS does not state a fixed replacement interval; it depends on how often and where you use the fan deck. Write the date of first use on a new fan deck. Store it closed and away from light. Compare it now and then with a new loose colour sample of the same code. If you see a difference, or if you are going to specify colours for a project, replace the fan deck.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between NCS 1950 and NCS 2050?

The number of standard colours. NCS 2050 consists of the 1950 existing colours plus 100 new ones from 2022, mainly tinted whites, greige and other colours with low chromaticness. Notation and system have stayed the same.

Since when has NCS 2050 existed?

Since 2022. NCS Colour then released 100 new standard colours, according to NCS the first new standard colours since 2004, and updated the Index, Atlas, Block, Album and Box.

Are codes from the 1950 collection still valid?

Yes. The 1950 colours are also in the 2050 collection, with the same code. An old specification or colour scheme therefore remains usable. Do check that the fan deck you use to judge the colour is still in good condition.

Do I need to replace my NCS Index 1950?

Not because of the codes. You do if you need the 100 new colours, or if the samples have discoloured through light and use. To approve a colour, use a current fan deck or a new loose colour sample.

Which new whites were added in 2022?

Among others the nuances 0601 and 1001, for example S 0601-Y and S 1001-Y. They have 1% chromaticness and 6 or 10% blackness. According to NCS, they correspond to best-selling whites that used to fall outside the standard.

Work with the current collectionThe NCS Index 2050 contains all 2050 standard colours, including the 100 colours from 2022. Loose colour samples can be ordered by code.
View the NCS Index 2050Order colour samples

, director of SNKI. Colour expert, lecturer and researcher with 35 years of experience in colour technology and colour application.

Read on
The NCS 2050 overview →Which NCS fan deck suits you? →The origins of the NCS system →