Goggles on a hook: brass and oxbloodBrass frames, oxblood leather strap, bottle green lenses, pale brass highlights, dark brown wall.#CCAA3E · #5D1B19 · #174F33 · #E5D7A4 · #392718
Balance scale: brass and dark brownBrass pans, dark brown wooden case, bronze weights, gold pointer, cream paper label.
Boiler plates: copper and bronzeCopper plates, bronze rivets, soot black seams, rust patch, fog gray steam.
Copper still: copper and pale brassCopper pot, pale brass lit rim, bronze pipe joints, charcoal stove, ember orange fire under it.
Diving helmet: copper and brassCopper dome, brass collar and bolts, verdigris weathered patches, dark brown leather pad, pale aqua glass port.
Goggles on a hook: brass and oxbloodBrass frames, oxblood leather strap, bottle green lenses, pale brass highlights, dark brown wall.
Mantel clock works: brass and goldBrass gears, gold pendulum, iron gray springs, soot black gaps between, ivory dial.
Orrery: brass and navyBrass arms, navy night behind, gold sun ball, copper planet balls, ivory small moon.
Propeller hub: brass and copperBrass blades, copper hub, dark brown wooden struts, steel gray bolts, dusty blue sky.
Speaking tubes: brass and chestnutBrass tube mouths, chestnut wood panel, copper pipes, soot black openings, parchment labels.
Steam whistle: pale brass and copperPale brass polished whistle, copper pipe, brass valve wheel, charcoal boiler wall, fog gray steam.
Show all 40 palettes (30 more)
Leather and wood 10
Captain's chair: oxblood and brassOxblood buttoned leather, brass studs, dark brown frame, tan worn arms, navy window behind.
Clock case: chestnut and ivoryChestnut case, ivory dial, dark brown carving shadow, brass hands and weights, sepia numerals.
Clockmaker's kit: tan and steel grayTan leather roll, steel gray small tools, brown straps, brass tweezers, dark brown bench.
Flying jacket: chestnut and creamChestnut jacket, cream fleece collar, dark brown seams, brass buckles, dusty blue scarf.
Forge bellows: oxblood and chestnutOxblood leather folds, chestnut wooden boards, brass nozzle, dark brown handle shadow, ember orange forge glow.
Helm wheel: chestnut and brassChestnut spokes, brass hub, dark brown handle grips, tan rope, fog gray cloud outside.
Lab notebook: oxblood and parchmentOxblood cover, parchment pages, sepia ink, gold gilt edge, dark brown desk.
Satchel and strap: tan and brownTan satchel, brown strap, brass clasp, cream letter inside, crimson wax seal.
Specimen drawers: brown and brassBrown drawers, brass handles, parchment labels, sepia handwriting, verdigris jar on top.
Steamer trunk: brown and brassBrown trunk, brass locks, tan straps, oxblood lining, parchment labels.
Glass and gaslight 10
Bell jar: pale aqua and chestnutPale aqua glass, chestnut wooden base, boiler green fern inside, butter yellow lamp light, brass label plate.
Dial at dusk: butter yellow and navyButter yellow lit dial, navy sky around it, iron gray hands, verdigris copper roof, soot black numerals.
Flask and burner: boiler green and amberBoiler green liquid, pale aqua glass, amber flame, brass stand, charcoal bench.
Gas lamp post: amber and iron grayAmber flame, iron gray post, pale aqua glass panes, soot black cap, dusty blue dusk sky.
Gauge by lamplight: ivory and brassIvory dial, brass case, pale aqua glass, soot black needle, amber lamp glow.
Gondola window: pale aqua and brassPale aqua glass, brass frame, butter yellow lamp inside, navy night sky, dark brown hull.
Mooring lantern: amber and verdigrisAmber flame, verdigris copper cage, pale aqua glass, soot black smoke stain, navy night.
Porthole at depth: dusty teal and brassDusty teal water, brass ring, pale aqua glass edge, butter yellow cabin light, soot black bolts.
Reagent shelf: bottle green and parchmentBottle green tall flask, dusty teal short flask, parchment labels, brown shelf, butter yellow lamp behind.
Watchmaker's lens: pale aqua and brassPale aqua lens, brass arm, steel gray tweezers, dark brown bench, amber lamp.
Smoke and soot 10
Airship in fog: fog gray and iron grayFog gray mist, iron gray hull, ash gray far cloud, smoke gray shadow side, amber cabin lamp.
Attic clock: ash gray and charcoalAsh gray dust, charcoal case, smoke gray dial, iron gray hands, brass pendulum.
Chimney row: smoke gray and soot blackSmoke gray plume, soot black chimneys, ash gray sky, charcoal roofs, ember orange furnace door.
Coal cellar: soot black and amberSoot black coal, iron gray old scuttle, charcoal wall, ash gray ashes, amber candle.
Engine shed: soot black and steel graySoot black locomotive, steel gray rails, smoke gray steam, charcoal roof beams, crimson buffer beam.
Exhaust trail: smoke gray and dusty blueSmoke gray trail, dusty blue sky, fog gray cloud, soot black funnel, copper funnel band.
Hot rivet: iron gray and ember orangeIron gray girders, ember orange hot rivet, soot black shadows, smoke gray haze, steel gray hammer.
Smoking flask: fog gray and charcoalFog gray fumes, charcoal bench, steel gray clamp stand, ash gray wall tiles, verdigris liquid.
Sooty rooftops: charcoal and dusty blueCharcoal roofs, dusty blue evening sky, smoke gray chimney plume, soot black chimney pots, butter yellow lit window.
Tower in smog: fog gray and iron grayFog gray smog, iron gray tower, steel gray lower haze, soot black rooftops, pale brass lit dial.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09: palettes of five colors for steampunk pictures, sorted by material (brass and copper, leather and wood, glass and gaslight, smoke and soot). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and part is our own choice; nothing is sampled from a photograph, a film, a game or a book, and the page states no outside fact. How a strip is ordered: each color is named for its part of one machine or one piece of kit; the name carries two of the colors. Every group holds an airship strip, a clockwork strip and a laboratory strip. Our own tests, not a standard: no strong color (an HSL saturation over 55 percent with a lightness between 30 and 85) lies outside the reds, oranges and yellows (a hue from 345 round to 60 degrees), so every green and blue is dull, pale or dark; a Brass and copper strip holds two or more of brass, pale brass, gold, bronze and copper, and a dark (a lightness of 25 percent or less); a Leather and wood strip holds two or more of oxblood, chestnut, brown, dark brown, tan and sepia, and a metal; a Glass and gaslight strip holds a green or aqua of glass or old copper (boiler green, bottle green, verdigris, dusty teal, pale aqua) and exactly one flame (amber, butter yellow or ember orange) that contrasts with the darkest color of the strip by 4.5 to 1 or more (the WCAG contrast ratio formula, https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html, used as our own threshold); a Smoke and soot strip holds three or more neutrals (a saturation of 20 percent or less) and at most one metal, flame or red; no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab; no two palettes share four codes. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-09: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint, pencils or markers, take the nearest color. Licence: own work
How it works
A steampunk color combination palette starts from materials: polished brass and copper, oxblood leather, green glass and a lot of soot. Each strip here is one machine or one piece of kit, with a color for every part.
Read the full guide
Pick the material
The menu under the button sorts the palettes by what the picture is made of. Brass and copper strips hold two or more metals and a dark. Leather and wood adds oxblood, chestnut and tan, with a metal for the buckles. Glass and gaslight sets one flame beside the green or aqua of glass and old copper. Smoke and soot is mostly grays and blacks, with one warm note at most.
Match the machine
Every material has an airship strip, a clockwork strip and a laboratory strip, so one machine can borrow from all four: brass for the works, leather for the seats, glass for the lamps, soot for the sky. For things to draw in these colors, see steampunk drawing ideas.
Questions and answers
What colors are steampunk?
On this list: brass #CCAA3E, copper #C6662F and bronze for the metal; oxblood #5D1B19, chestnut and tan for leather; boiler green #315E47 and pale aqua for glass; soot black #1A1714 and smoke gray for everything the engine touches.
What are some steampunk color palette ideas?
Three to start: for an airship, Propeller hub, brass and copper against a dusty blue sky. For clockwork, Mantel clock works, brass and gold on soot black. For a laboratory, Flask and burner: boiler green, pale aqua and one amber flame.
What colors go with brass?
Darks first: soot black, charcoal and dark brown make brass read as polished. Then oxblood leather, bottle green glass or navy. Orrery sets brass #CCAA3E on navy #172340 with gold, copper and ivory.
What color is oxblood?
On this list oxblood is #5D1B19, a dark red that leans brown. It covers a notebook, a buttoned leather chair, the folds of a bellows and the strap of a pair of goggles.