Munsell Color Tree

Communicate and reproduce color consistently with color standards developed using Munsell color theory. Produced to the exacting color accuracy that Munsell himself insisted upon, Munsell color standards provide a visual representation of the color you have in mind. With a tangible color at hand you can more effectively communicate and evaluate color. The Color Tree is an attractive, three-dimensional model that makes it easy to comprehend the Munsell three-dimensional color space.

How the Color Tree Works

Each color has 3 dimensions or attributes, Hue (H), Value (V) and Chroma (C). Hue is assigned a number and letter(s) which represents the color. Value and Chroma are assigned numbers. This is referred to as the Munsell notation.

For example, 5PB 5/1 would be:

• Hue: 5 Purple-Blue
• Value: 5
• Chroma: 1

So why did Munsell choose a tree to represent his color space? We break down each dimension to explain how they relate visually to the tree concept.

Hue (H)

Each branch of the color tree represents a hue, the color itself:

• Red (R)
• Red-Purple (RP)
• Purple (P)
• Purple-Blue (PB)
• Blue (B)
• Blue-Green (BG)
• Green (G)
• Green-Yellow (GY)
• Yellow (Y)
• Yellow-Red (TR)

– making up the 10 panels on the color tree.