Compact knowledge and complementary downloads to the NCS color system

Find out more about the color system NCS Natural Color System
The NCS color system "Natural Color System" comes from Sweden, the first color atlas was introduced in 1979. Currently there are 2050 NCS standard colors, in some countries z. For example, Norway, Sweden and Spain, NCS is already a national standard. The color system describes colors the way humans see them. Therefore it is easy to understand and easy to use and high-quality and useful tools also facilitate the country and industry-wide color communication.

The NCS colors are used in many industrial sectors such as architecture, product design, monument conservation, trend research and much more.
 
Structure of the color system
NCS is based on the six elementary colors yellow, red, blue, green, black and white. The four bright colors are arranged so that they form a color circle. Black and white form the end points of a straight line that leads through the center of the circle. Together they form the double cone that completes the color space of the NCS color system. All colors are named according to their similarity to the elementary colors. For this purpose, first the position of the hue is indicated on the color wheel, for example Y90R as a yellow with 90 percent red. The other color properties are black and colored. For example, the color code NCS S 1050-Y90R results, a yellow color with 10 percent black, 90 percent colored and 90 percent red. In this way all visible colors can be described.

Explanation of the color names
- 6 elementary color sensations: white (W) - black (B) yellow (Y) -red (R) - blue (B) - green (G)
- For example: The color code S 10 50 - Y90R means:
- S = Standard / Second Edition
- 10 = black part
- 50 = multi-color
- Y = yellow
- 90R = with 90% red
- Yellow can always only have one red component in the NCS system, no green component
- Greenish yellow is according to the agreement a green with a high yellow content
- Red may contain different blue proportions, blue different green shares and green different yellow proportions
 
Note: All NCS color references are supplied in high quality as a paint coating on paper.

Download Structure and special features of the NCS color system (only in German)

All NCS products to order>>
 
A brief overview of the most important work equipment
NCS Index 2050: color fan with all 2050 colors, semi matt finish. The colors are sorted by color families and thus allow an uncomplicated color selection and easy customer consultation.
NCS Glossy Index 1950: Color fans with all 1950 colors in the design cover, high-gloss finish. Color sorting as in a matt fan, very well suited for the selection of high-gloss surfaces.
NCS Atlas 2050: Color atlas with pasted in color samples 15 x 15 mm on 44 pages. 40 pages each with a hue, NCS color wheel and an overview with almost neutral tones. 3 pages with tinted white colors and 1 page with neutral and tinted greyscales. The tool for creatives who want to work systematically with the color system.
NCS Block 2050: 9 color fans in the format 35 x 104 mm. Sorting can be selected according to hue or nuance. Well suited for creating harmonious color combinations.
NCS BOX 2050: Loose-leaf collection with all 2050 standard colors in the format 105 x 148 mm, sorted by hue. Suitable for those who often require larger color samples and use the entire color space.
NCS Album 2050: Two large ring binders, each with 3 removable individual patterns in the format 37 x 52 mm. The ultimate tool for professionals.
NCS Black & White: color block Din A6 with 79 neutral and almost neutral shades in different brightness levels divided into 9 grey tone groups . Selection from NCS standard colors.
NCS WS 160: color fan with 160 neutral and almost neutral shades in different brightness levels divided into 6 grey tone groups in 140 x 50 mm format. Selection from NCS standard colors.
NCS Gloss Scale: Gloss level scale 100 x 140 mm with 4 neutral shades in 7 gloss levels each. Well suited to visual inspection and specification of gloss properties on surfaces.
NCS Exterior: Box with color fan and loose-leaf collection, choice of 322 color tones from the standard colors especially for outdoor architectural applications. Color samples each 5 x 14 cm.
NCS Color Scan: NCS color fan digital with all standard colors. Handy measuring device for determining the nearest hue. Suitable e.g. to create color profiles and color tables of environmental colors.
NCS brightness meter: Overview map with 18 shades of gray from white to black. Punched out fields allow you to hang up to determine the brightness of surfaces.
NCS single color pattern: Each NCS series color tone is available as single sheet DIN A4 in matt. Well suited to create your own color collections, color profiles for projects and to work with large color samples to have a better color impression.

Download Download History of the NCS Color System (only in German)