
The color amber is a pure
chroma color, located on the
color wheel midway between the colors of
yellow and
orange. The color name is derived from the material also known as
amber, which is commonly found in a range of yellow-orange-brown-red colors; likewise, as a color, ''amber'' can refer to a range of yellow-orange colors. In
English, the first recorded use of the term as a color name, rather than a reference to the specific substance, was in 1500.
SAE/ECE amber
Amber is one of several technically defined colors used in
automotive signal lamps. In North America,
SAE standard J578 governs the
colorimetry of vehicle lights,
while outside North America the internationalized European
ECE regulations hold force. Both standards designate a range of orange-yellow hues in the
CIE color space as "amber".

In the past, the ECE amber definition was more restrictive than the SAE definition, but the current ECE definition is identical to the more permissive SAE standard. The SAE formally uses the term "yellow amber", though the color is most often referred to as "yellow". This is not the same as
selective yellow, a color used in some fog lamps and
headlamps.
Formal definitions
Previously, ECE amber was defined according to the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, as follows:
Recent revisions to the ECE regulations have aligned ECE Amber with SAE Yellow, defined as follows:
The entirety of these definitions lie outside the
gamut of the
sRGB color space — such a pure color cannot be represented using RGB primaries. The color box shown above is a desaturated approximation, produced by taking the
centroid of the standard definition and moving it towards the D65
white point, until it meets the sRGB gamut triangle.
Lighting
The
color temperature of
LED lamps is called amber when their wavelengths are about 590 nm. Chronomatic low-pressure
sodium-vapor lamps emit light ranging from 580 to 590 nm.
Cultural use
Computer
A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...
s
* The
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)
VT220 computer terminals were available with amber phosphors in their
CRTs.
Interior design
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...
* The original
Amber Room in the
Catherine Palace of
Tsarskoye Selo near
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
was a complete chamber decoration of
amber panels backed with
gold leaf and
mirrors. Due to its singular beauty, it was sometimes dubbed the "
Eighth Wonder of the World".
Sports
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
* In
Gaelic games,
Armagh play in a darker amber color (the amber that is prevalent in the
Irish flag),
Offaly play in the original colors of the Irish flag (green, white and amber) and
Kilkenny also play in black and amber, albeit a more yellow amber.
* Amber is a color worn by English football clubs
Hull City AFC,
Bradford City AFC,
Barnet FC,
Shrewsbury Town FC (As part of stripes),
Mansfield Town,
Cambridge United FC and
Sutton United.
Everton has incorporated amber in away and thirds kits, and as an accent color, since at least 1967.
The color is also worn by the Scottish football club
Motherwell FC, as well as many other sports clubs around the world.
Traffic engineering
* Amber is used in
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...
s and
turn signals.
Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
* Amber, sometimes named "
Bastard Amber", along with 'Moonlight Blue', is one of the two most common colors used in
stage lighting.
See also
*
List of colors
References
External links
UNECE Regulation No. 6: Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Direction Indicators for Motor Vehicles and their Trailers (E/ECE/324-E/ECE/TRANS/505/Rev.1/Add.5/Rev.4)http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/r006r4a1e.pd
UNECE Regulation No. 48: Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Vehicles with Regard to the Installation of Lighting and Light-Signalling Devices (E/ECE/324-E/ECE/TRANS/505/Rev.1/Add.47/Rev.3/Amend.2)
{{Shades of yellow
Tertiary colors
Quaternary colors
ja:琥珀色