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Tailwind CSS Colors: Complete Palette Guide (2026)

Master Tailwind CSS color system with all default colors, custom colors, opacity modifiers, and best practices for modern web development.

C

ColorCraft Expert

Design Intelligence Team

Tailwind CSS Colors: Complete Palette Guide (2026)

Tailwind CSS has revolutionized how developers approach colors in web design. With its comprehensive color palette and utility-first approach, you can build beautiful interfaces faster than ever.

All Tailwind CSS Default Colors

Tailwind CSS v3.0+ includes 22 color families, each with 10 shades (50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900).

Color Families:

  • Grays: Slate, Gray, Zinc, Neutral, Stone
  • Colors: Red, Orange, Amber, Yellow, Lime, Green, Emerald, Teal, Cyan, Sky, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Purple, Fuchsia, Pink, Rose
  • Understanding Color Shades

    Each Tailwind color comes in 10 shades:

  • 50: Very light backgrounds, subtle highlights
  • 100-200: Light backgrounds, hover states
  • 300-400: Disabled states, placeholders
  • 500: Primary color (most commonly used)
  • 600-700: Hover states, active elements
  • 800-900: Text, dark backgrounds
  • Adding Custom Colors

    ```javascript

    // tailwind.config.js

    module.exports = {

    theme: {

    extend: {

    colors: {

    'brand': {

    50: '#eff6ff',

    500: '#3b82f6',

    900: '#1e3a8a',

    }

    }

    }

    }

    }

    ```

    Opacity Modifiers

    Tailwind 3.0 introduced opacity modifiers using the slash syntax:

    ```html

    50% opacity

    75% opacity

    ```

    Best Practices

    1. Use semantic color names

    2. Limit your palette to 2-3 primary colors

    3. Use opacity for layering

    4. Don't use arbitrary values everywhere

    5. Always check accessibility

    Conclusion

    Tailwind CSS's color system is powerful and flexible. With 220+ default colors, custom color support, and opacity modifiers, you have everything you need to build beautiful, accessible interfaces.

    Knowledge Base

    Common Questions

    Q.How many colors does Tailwind CSS have?

    A.

    Tailwind CSS v3.0+ includes 22 color families (gray, red, orange, amber, yellow, lime, green, emerald, teal, cyan, sky, blue, indigo, violet, purple, fuchsia, pink, rose, slate, zinc, neutral, stone) with 10 shades each (50-900), totaling 220+ color variations. Plus, you can add unlimited custom colors.

    Q.How do I use custom colors in Tailwind CSS?

    A.

    Add custom colors in your tailwind.config.js file under theme.extend.colors. For example: colors: { 'brand-blue': '#1E40AF', 'brand': { 50: '#eff6ff', 100: '#dbeafe', ... } }. Then use them like bg-brand-blue or text-brand-500.

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