Colors at Various Temperatures Judging temperature by color is very subjective. The colors we perceive are affected by the surrounding lighting conditions. The first visible redness can be seen at lower temperatures in the dark than in sunlight, as shown on the chart. I believe our perceptions are also affected by our personal experiences. If the brightest glow you’ve ever seen is red hot, it’s hard to judge the shades of oranges, yellows, and whites. If you’ve seen the flash of an arc welder, you know what dazzling white means. I combined the information from about a dozen different sources to create my chart, so most of the ranges overlap due to different terminology and temperatures among the sources. I included the melting points of a few metals of interest. The colors you see on your computer screen or those produced by your printer may be different than mine. I provide no warranty as to its accuracy. Dave

Degrees C Degrees F Platinum melts at 1,768°C 3,215°F Dazzling White (Bluish White) 1500 - 1600 2732 – 2912 Palladium melts at 1,555°C 2,831°F Brilliant White 1205 - 1500 2201 – 2732 White Welding Heat 1079 - 1400 1974 - 2552 White 1150 - 1500 2102 – 2732 Yellow White 996 - 1314 1824 – 2397 Copper melts at 1,085°C 1,984°F Light Yellow 1050 - 1300 1922 – 2372 Yellow 1000 - 1258 1832 - 2296 Light Orange 950 - 1200 1742 – 2192 Orange Yellow 941 - 1200 1725 – 2192 Gold melts at 1,064°C 1,948°F Orange 900 - 1092 1652 - 1997 Orange Red 843 - 1100 1549 – 2012 Clear Cherry 1000 1832 Bright Cherry Red 815 - 1000 1499 – 1832 Silver Melts at 961.8°C 1,763°F Light Red 850 - 875 1562 - 1607 Light Cherry 790 - 981 1454 – 1797 Cherry Red 690 - 900 1274 – 1652 Dull Cherry Red 677 - 800 1250 – 1472 Borax melts at 743°C 1,369°F Dark Cherry 625 - 715 1157 – 1319 Dark Red / Blood Red 550 - 814 1022 – 1497 Dull Red 700 1292 Very Dark Red 593 - 704 1099 – 1299 Brown Red 600 1112 Aluminum melts at 660.3°C 1,221°F Red Heat, visible in Sunlight 556 - 693 1032 – 1279 Red Heat, visible in Daylight 475 - 538 887 – 1000 Red Heat, visible in Twilight 474 885 Black Red 426 - 593 798 – 1099 Lowest Red Visible in the Dark 400 - 525 752 – 977 Zinc melts at 419.5°C 787.2°F