Since the introduction of Crayola drawing crayons by Binney & Smith in 1903, more than 200 colors have been produced in a wide variety of assortments. The line has undergone several major revisions, notably in 1935, 1949, 1958, and 1990. Numerous specialty crayons have also been produced, complementing the basic Crayola assortment.

1903: the original Crayola colors

After several decades producing commercial pigments, Binney & Smith produced their first crayon, the black Staonal Marking Crayon, in 1902. The following year, the company decided to enter the consumer market with its first drawing crayons. The name Crayola was suggested by Alice Binney, wife of company founder Edwin Binney, combining craie, French for "chalk," a reference to the pastels that preceded and lent their name to the first drawing crayons, with the suffix -ola, meaning "oleaginous," a reference to the wax from which the crayons were made. Initially this was just one of the brands produced by Binney & Smith; other crayons were produced under names such as Cerola, Cerata, Durel, Perma, and Boston, among others; but the Crayola brand proved the most successful, and was produced in two lines: Crayola Gold Medal School Crayons and "Rubens" Crayola Artists' Crayons.

Early Crayola advertising mentions thirty different colors, although there is no official list; in fact thirty-eight different crayons are known from Crayola boxes of this period. The largest labeled assortment was box No. 51, titled Crayola Young Artists' Drawing Crayons, which included twenty-eight different crayons. Other colors were found in different boxes, including the "Rubens" No. 500, a twenty-four crayon assortment. The names of several crayons varied from box to box; in general the larger assortments tended to use names associated with oil paints, and in fact early Crayola literature frequently describes drawing with crayons as a form of painting.Ed Welter, The Definitive History of the Colors of Crayola, CrayonCollecting.com .

Over time, simpler names were favored, and several colors were discontinued by 1910, including Light and Dark Venetian Red, Permanent Geranium Lake, Celestial Blue, Raw Sienna, and Charcoal Gray; the use of "Purple" as an alternative for "Violet" ended about 1914; and after 1915 Gold, Silver, and Copper were no longer available in assortments, although Gold and Silver were still available in bulk.

Color Name Hex code Notes Red #ED0A3F English Vermilion #CC474B Also spelled "Vermillion." Discontinued by 1935 Madder Lake #CC3336 Discontinued by 1935 Permanent Geranium Lake #E12C2C Discontinued by 1910. Indian Red #CD5C5C Same color as "Chestnut" (1999–present). Dark Venetian Red #B33B24 "Venetian Red, Dark" on labels. Discontinued by 1910. Venetian Red #C80815 Discontinued by 1949 Light Venetian Red #E6735C "Venetian Red, Light" on labels. Discontinued by 1910. Orange #FF8833 Gold Ochre #F2C649 "Golden Ochre" on some labels. Same color as "Maize" (1958–1990). Medium Chrome Yellow #FCD667 Same color as "Medium Yellow" (1903–1958) and "Goldenrod" (1958–present). Yellow #FFFF00 Olive Green #B5B35C Light Chrome Yellow #FFFF9F On labels "Chrome Yellow, Light." Same color as "Light Yellow" (1903–1958) and "Lemon Yellow" (1903–1910, 1958–1990). Light Chrome Green #BEE64B "Chrome Green, Light" on labels. Same color as "Light Green" (1903–1935). Green #008001 Medium Chrome Green #6CA67C "Chrome Green, Medium" on labels. Same color as "Medium Green" (1903–1939). Dark Chrome Green #01786F "Chrome Green, Dark" on labels. Same color as "Dark Green" (1903–1949) and "Pine Green" (1958–present). Blue #2EB4E6 Same color as "Celestial Blue" (1930–1949) and "Azure Blue" (1949–1958). Prussian Blue #00468C Same color as "Midnight Blue" (1958–present). Cobalt Blue #0047AB Discontinued by 1958 Celestial Blue #4997D0 Discontinued by 1944 Ultramarine Blue #4166F5 Discontinued by 1958 Purple (Violet) #6A0DAD "Violet" from about 1914. Permanent Magenta #F653A6 Same color as "Magenta" (1903–present). Rose Pink #FF66CC Same color as "Pink" (1903–1917) and "Carnation Pink" (1958–present). Burnt Sienna #E97451 Van Dyke Brown #664228 Same color as "Brown" (1903–1935). Flesh Tint #FFCBA4 Same color as "Flesh" (1949–1956, 1958–1962), "Pink Beige" (1956–1958), and "Peach" (1962–present). Burnt Umber #8A3324 Discontinued by 1949 Raw Umber #826644 One of the 8 colors "Retired" in 1990 Raw Sienna #D68A59 Discontinued by 1910. Gold #A57C00 Metallic; swatch represents nominal hue only. Available only in bulk after 1915. Silver #AAA9AD Metallic; swatch represents nominal hue only. Available only in bulk after 1915. Copper #B87333 Metallic; swatch represents nominal hue only. Not Available between 1915 and 1950 Black #000000 Charcoal Gray #736A62 Discontinued in 1910. White #FFFFFF

Munsell Crayola, 1926–1944

In 1926, Binney & Smith acquired the Munsell Color Company's line of crayons, based on the Munsell color system developed by Albert Henry Munsell. This marked the first time that Crayola crayons incorporated the concept of the color wheel. The Munsell color wheel consisted of five "principal hues" (red, yellow, green, blue, and purple), and five "intermediate hues" (yellow red, green yellow, blue green, blue purple, and red purple). Each color was available in either "maximum chroma" or with "middle value and middle chroma." Three different packages were offered: a box of seven containing the five principal hues at maximum chroma plus Middle Gray and Black, a box of twelve containing the five principal hues, both at maximum chroma and at middle value and chroma, plus Middle Gray and Black, and a box of twenty-two, containing both the principal and intermediate hues, each at maximum chroma as well as with middle value and chroma, plus Middle Gray and Black.

The Munsell color wheel prompted Binney & Smith to adopt a similar color wheel concept for Crayola crayons in 1930, using six principal hues (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet) and six intermediate hues (red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet), for a twelve-color wheel. These were combined with Black, Neutral Gray, White, and Brown to produce a sixteen-color box. Munsell Crayola boxes were discontinued in 1935, although the crayons were produced in specially-marked Crayola boxes until 1944, when wartime shortages made many of the pigments necessary for crayon production unavailable. Munsell crayons were not produced again after the war, but the concept of the color wheel pioneered by Munsell remained a fundamental part of the Crayola lineup until 1990.

The Munsell colors are depicted in the table below. Color Name Hexadecimal Notes Maximum Red #D92121 Middle Red #E58E73 Middle Yellow Red #ECB176 Same color as "Medium Orange" (1949–1958). Maximum Yellow Red #F2BA49 Middle Yellow #FFEB00 Maximum Yellow #FAFA37 Maximum Green Yellow #D9E650 Middle Green Yellow #ACBF60 Maximum Green #5E8C31 Middle Green #4D8C57 Middle Blue Green #8DD9CC Maximum Blue Green #30BFBF Middle Blue #7ED4E6 Maximum Blue #47ABCC Maximum Blue Purple #ACACE6 Middle Blue Purple #8B72BE Maximum Purple #733380 Middle Purple #D982B5 Maximum Red Purple #A63A79 Middle Red Purple #A55353 Middle Grey #8B8680 Spelled "Grey" on labels, but "Gray" on boxes. Same color as "Neutral Grey" (1930–1956), "Gray" (1956–present). Black #000000 References to "Maximum Black" are erroneous.

Changes through 1949

From 1930 to 1935, Binney & Smith refined the Crayola line-up, discontinuing some colors, adjusting others, and incorporating the Munsell colors into its regular line. In 1939, the company introduced the No. 52 assortment, containing fifty-two colors, including all of the Munsell colors and all but six of the other crayons then being produced. Although it was by far the largest Crayola assortment yet offered, the No. 52 received little publicity, and was only produced for about five years; in 1944, wartime shortages made the pigments necessary to produce many colors unavailable.

When full production was resumed in 1949, Binney & Smith eliminated most of the Munsell colors and their significant overlap with other hues. The new lineup was based around the twelve-color Crayola color wheel, first developed in the 1930s. While new crayons were added to the assortment, the overall number of colors dropped to forty-eight, and the No. 52 box was formally discontinued in favor of the new No. 48 assortment, containing all of the colors then being produced.

While many older crayons were eliminated from the Crayola line, several new colors representing light, medium, and dark shades of the principal and intermediate hues were added, to create the most systematic assortment yet produced. For ten years, the No. 48 box was Crayola's largest collection, and for decades afterward, it remained an integral part of the line.

Color Name Hexadecimal Notes Red #ED0A3F Dark Red #8B0000 Same color as "Maroon" (1958–present). Indian Red #CD5C5C Same color as "Chestnut" (1999–present). Red-Orange #FF3F34 Orange #FF8833 Medium Orange #ECB176 Same color as "Middle Yellow Red" (1926–1949). Yellow-Orange #FFAE42 Gold Ochre #F2C649 Same color as "Maize" (1958–1990). Medium Yellow #FCD667 Same color as "Medium Chrome Yellow" (1903–1910) and "Goldenrod" (1958–present). Yellow #FFFF00 Olive Green #B5B35C Light Yellow #FFFFE0 Same color as "Lemon Yellow" (1903–1910, 1958–1990). Yellow-Green #9ACD32 Dark Green #013220 Same color as "Forest Green" (1958–present). Light Green #90EE90 Same color as "Sea Green" (1958–present). Green #01A368 Light Turquoise Blue #458B74 Same color as "Aquamarine" (1958–present). Turquoise Blue #00FFEF Middle Blue-Green #0095B7 Same color as "Blue-Green" (1958–present). Blue-Green #0D98BA Same color as "Maximum Blue" (1926–1949) Azure Blue #4997D0 Same color as "Blue" (1903–1935) and "Celestial Blue" (1930–1949). Cerulean Blue #2A52BE Prussian Blue #003153 Same color as "Midnight Blue" (1958–present). Blue #0066FF Medium Blue #0000CD Same color as "Blue" (1935–1949). Cobalt Blue #0047AB Blue-Violet #8A2BE2 Same color as "Violet-Blue" (1958–1990). Violet #7F00FF Same color as "Blue-Violet" (1958–present). Medium Violet #65315F Lavender #B57EDC Brilliant Rose #E667CE Medium Red-Violet #BB3385 Same color as "Orchid" (1958–present). Medium Rose #D96CBE Light Magenta #FF80FF Same color as "Thistle" (1958–1999). Red-Violet #C71585 Magenta #FF00FF Same color as "Permanent Magenta" (1903–1914). Rose Pink #FF66CC Same color as "Carnation Pink" (1958–present). Carmine Red #FF0038 Same color as "Carmine" (1935–1949). Salmon #FA8072 Mahogany #C04000 Burnt Sienna #E97451 Brown #964B00 Flesh #FFCBA4 Same color as "Flesh Tint" (1903–1949), "Pink Beige" (1956–1958), and Peach (1962–present). Raw Umber #826644 Silver #AAA9AD Metallic; swatch represents nominal hue only. Black #000000 Neutral Gray #8B8680 Same color as "Middle Grey" (1926–1949), "Gray" (1956–present). White #FFFFFF

Crayola No. 64