How the NCS System Works

The Natural Color System is based on how the human eye perceives colours. Unlike technical colour systems such as RGB or CMYK, NCS describes colours the way we see them.

The basis: six elementary colours

The NCS system is based on six colours that everyone recognises instantly, without them appearing to be a mixture of other colours:

Achromatic colours

White (W)
Black (S)

Chromatic colours

Yellow (Y)
Red (R)
Blue (B)
Green (G)

The NCS colour space

All colours are described using three dimensions:

1. Nuance (Lightness)

The amount of white or black in a colour. This determines how light or dark the colour is.

2. Chromaticness

The saturation or intensity of the colour. The higher this number, the brighter the colour.

3. Hue

The colour type, expressed as a combination of two of the four chromatic base colours (Y, R, B, G).

Example: S 2050-Y90R

S 2050-Y90R

S = Standard edition

Second edition with 2050 colours

20 = Blackness

20% black, relatively light colour

50 = Chromaticness

50% saturation, vivid colour

Y90R = Hue

90% yellow, 10% red = warm orange

The colour circle

In NCS, the four chromatic base colours are distributed across a 360° circle:

  • Y (Yellow) at 0°
  • R (Red) at 90°
  • B (Blue) at 180°
  • G (Green) at 270°

Intermediate colours are mixtures, such as Y90R (almost yellow with a touch of red) or B50G (exactly between blue and green).

Why professionals choose NCS

Material-independent

An NCS code works for paint, fabric, plastic, ceramics and digital.

Internationally recognised

Used worldwide in architecture, interior design, fashion and industry.

Intuitive communication

Speaks the language of the user, not of the printer or screen.

Scientifically grounded

Based on decades of colour research and visual perception.

Get started with NCS

Discover our range of colour fans and design tools to start working with the NCS system right away.

View colour fansExplore NCS colours →

Explore the NCS system interactively

Below you can see the official NCS colour circle and colour triangle. Click on a hue in the circle to see all variations in the triangle.

Interactive NCS visualisation

  1. Step 1: Choose a hue in the colour circle
  2. Step 2: Explore the nuances in the colour triangle
  3. Step 3: View the details of your chosen colour

Colour circle

Click a hue to explore its nuances

YYellowRRedBBlueGGreenY30RY60RR30BR60BB30GB60GG30YG60YNCSColor circle

Color circle - Official division into 40 hues between the 4 elementary colors (Yellow, Red, Blue, Green)