British Standard Colour Table

British Vehicle Colours in World War Two

Tetrach light tank with British two-colour disruptive camouflage scheme.

Light Tank Mk.VII, Tetrarch Mk.I sporting the 1944 two-colour disruptive pattern. The vehicle is from the collection of Patrick Storto, who completed the MMS 1:76 scale metal kit as a C.S. (close support) version, adding a spare fuel drum and a Bren LMG mounted on the turret side.

Europe

  • 3-Colour Disruptive Pattern, 1939
  • 2-Colour Disruptive Pattern, 1941
  • 2-Colour Disruptive Pattern, Sicily 1943
  • Mickey Mouse Pattern, Normandy 1944
  • Deep Bronze Green, 1945

North Africa

  • 2-Colour Disruptive, 1937 & 1939
  • 3-Colour Diagonal Bands Pattern, 1940
  • 2-Colour Disruptive, 1942 & 1943

It is important to remember, that the table lists the closest model colour matches for a particular standard colour applied to an actual vehicle, not a model of the same. To paint a 1:72 scale model of a particular vehicle realistically, aerial perspective needs to be taken into account. As a rule, matching model colours should be tinted with 10–30 % white in order to arrive at the scaled down vehicle base colour. Approximately 40-50 % white is recommended for drybrushing the highlights. For a detailed painting guide, please refer to Weathering Vehicles, by Jim Gordon.

British Standard Colour Conversion Table

B.S. Colours WEM3 Humbrol Revell Vallejo1 Testors2 Tamiya2 Gunze2
№ 1A B.S.987C-1942
Very Dark Brown		 AR B 15 29 (2) 361.87 70.921 E 6603 XF-52 H72
Secondary colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, Europe 1941.
№ 2 B.S.987C-1942
Khaki Brown		 – 26(2) 361.86 70.879 E 6413 – H81 / TC-4
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, Europe 1941.
Base colour, Europe 1942–1943.
№ 3 B.S.381-1939
Khaki Green		 – 30 (2) – 70.895, 71.330 – XF-26 / XF-58 –
Base colour, 3-colour disruptive pattern, Europe 1939.
Base colour, North Africa (Tunisia) 1943.
№ 4 B.S.381-1939
№ 24 B.S.381-1930
Dark Green		 – 75 – 70.897 – – H330
Dark disruptive colour, 3-colour disruptive pattern, Europe 1939.
№ 5 B.S.381-1939
№ 22 B.S.381-1930
Light Green		 – 86 36.361 70.891 E 5973 – –
Light disruptive colour, 3-colour disruptive pattern, Europe 1939.
№ 7 B.S.381-1939
Khaki Green		 – 151 – – – – –
Base colour, Europe 1942.
№ 13 B.S.987C-1942
Jungle Green		 – 116 361.67 70.893 E 7953 XF-13 –
Base colour, Burma 1942.
S.C.C. № 14 B.S.987C-1942
Blue-Black		 AR B 16 – 3610.9 – – – –
Disruptive colour over »Khaki Green № 3« or S.C.C. 1A very dark brown, Europe 1941–1945.
S.C.C. № 15 Olive Drab AR B 19 159 – 70.924 – – –
Base colour, Europe, introduced 12 April 1944.
№ 16 B.S.381-1930
Deep Bronze Green		 – 75 – 70.897 – – H330
Base colour, Burma 1945.
№ 23 B.S.381-1942
Middle Bronze Green		 AR B 07 – – – – – –
 
№ 24 B.S.381-1942
Deep Bronze Green		 – 75 – 70.897 – – H330
Base colour, Europe 1945.
№ 28 B.S.381-1930
Silver Grey		 AR B 08 64 – – – – –
Disruptive colour, 3-colour diagonal bands pattern, N. Africa 1940.
№ 34 B.S.381-1930
Slate Grey		 AR B 09 31 – 71.324 – – –
Disruptive colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1939.
Disruptive colour, 3-colour diagonal bands pattern, N. Africa 1940.
№ 44 B.S.381-1930
Terra Cotta		 – 70 – 70.940 – – –
Disruptive colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1937.
Disruptive colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1942.
Disruptive colour, 2-colour disr. pattern, Syria, Persia, Iraq 1943.
№ 49 B.S.381-1930
Light Purple Brown		 AR B 10 – – – – – –
Disruptive colour over № 61 Light Stone, 2-colour disruptive pattern, Sudan 1940–1942.
№ 61 B.S.381-1930
Light Stone		 AR B 11 121 – 71.143, 70.819 E 6213 XF-57 H85 (?)
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1937.
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1939.
Base colour, 3-colour diagonal bands pattern, N. Africa 1940.
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1942.
Base colour, 2-colour disr. pattern, Syria, Persia, Iraq 1943.
№ 64 B.S.381-1930
Portland Stone		 AR B 12 – – 71.288 – – –
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1937.
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1939.
Base colour, 3-colour diagonal bands pattern, N. Africa 1940.
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, North Africa 1942.
Base colour, 2-colour disr. pattern, Syria, Persia, Iraq 1943.
Light Mud
Middle Stone		 – 84 361.88 70.821 – XF-59 H71
Base colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, Sicily 1943.
Blue-Black – 67 361.78 70.995 E 6851 XF-63 TC-1
Disruptive colour, 2-colour disruptive pattern, Sicily 1943.
Black – 33 (2) 3610.8 70.950 E 9983 XF-1 H12
Disruptive colour, mickey mouse pattern, Europe 1944.

Please refer to the British and Commonwealth vehicle catalog for more information about camouflage patterns, and markings.

Footnotes

  1. Vallejo Acrylic Model Colours are listed with two number, e.g. "70.976". The colour’s order number (Ref) is followed by its position number (Pos) in brackets. The position number indicates the relative position of the colour on the Valley Model Colour chart.
  2. Also available as acrylic paint. Testors Model-Master "E ...." numbers indicate acrylic paint, other numbers are Model-Master enamels.
  3. White Ensign Models enamels.

Bibliography

  • Starmer, Mike: British Army Colours & Disruptive Camouflage in the UK, France and NW Europe 1936–1945
  • Starmer, Mike: The Caunter Scheme, 1940–1941
  • Starmer, Mike: Alamein and After, 1942–1943
  • Starmer, Mike: Sicily and Italy, 1943–1945
  • Taylor, Dick: Warpaint Vol. 2, Colours & Markings of British Army Vehicles 1903-2003

British Miniatures of World War Two