Each of 358 Copic alcohol markers (Copic classic, Sketch and Ciao) colors has its own specific number, and there is a meaning behind each letter and digit in it. Knowing this makes the process of choosing colors quick, easy and more enjoyable.
*Our Copic Color Wheel has recently been renewed (update: 2021/5/10).
![](/images/about/col_system.jpg?2021)
Picture of the color wheel
![Picture of the color wheel](/images/color_system/img1_colornomber_col_system.jpg)
![Color numbers](/images/about/col_system01_en.jpg)
Copic color numbers consist of 3 elements - letters representing the hue (dominant color family) and a set of digits, the first one indicating color saturation and the rest representing the brightness of the color.
Hue (Dominant Color Family)
![Hue (Dominant Color Family)](/images/about/col_system02_en.jpg)
Letters represent a rough hue (dominant color family).
Each letter is an acronym indicating a color family - R stands for 'red', B for 'blue', and BV for 'blue violet'.
* Regarding the E series - this series consists of muddy tones from R ('red') and YR ('yellow red') series. We named this series 'earth colors' so that it would be easier to select the brown tones.
* Regarding the achromatic gray colors - we considered each tone of gray as a part of a hue, and divided them into 4 groups according to their characteristics.
* Fluorescent colors have a letter F (acronym for 'flourescent') in their color number.
* Colorless 0 and black (1) are exceptions.
Saturation
![Brightness](/images/about/col_system03_en.jpg?v2)
Next to the letters we have a digit representing color saturation. The degree of saturation is divided into 10 groups, starting from 0 and ending at 9. Colors whose numbers start with 0 have the highest transparency.
The higher the number (e.g. 1, 2 or 3), the lower the transparency is.
As for the colors whose numbers start with 4 or a higher digit - those were first divided according to their characteristics, such as level of darkness or muddiness, and then assigned an appropriate number.
Brightness
![色名について](/images/about/col_system04_en.jpg?2021)
The rest of the digits represent brightness of the color. Its levels are divided into 12 groups, with 000 representing the brightest colors and 9 - the darkest ones (colors become darker as their numbers become closer to 9).
About the Color Names
![色名について](/images/color_system/img6_colorname_col_system.jpg)
![色名について](/images/color_system/img7_colorname_col_system.jpg)
All 358 Copic colors have their own unique names. The colors are usually named after very universal and commonly seen things, with which they can be easily associated, such as sky or various plants and flowers.
About our colors
Copic delivers true and vibrant colors and we are committed to offer the widest selection to our users across creative fields. To facilitate navigation we have arranged our colors into 17 color families and developed a color code system to help you find specific hues and plan schemes.
![A wide range of color lineup](/images/about/features6_about.jpg)
An unrivalled spectrum
The color selection has been developed to meet the specific needs of our users, from basic primary colors to highly specialized shades . Copic Sketch carries the full range while Ciao and Classic have line ups tailored to their primary users.
![Color variation expanded together with our customers](/images/about/features7_about.jpg)
Collaborative color development
From the start we have collaborated with our users to meet particular needs, initially partnering with designers and architects to optimize their selection and later on with manga illustrators to extend shades for figurative drawing. We remain open to any requests or ideas you may have so feel free to contact us.
![Extensive research to maintain the quality of all 358 colors](/images/about/features8_about.jpg)
Extensive color quality research
The supply of ink materials fluctuates which we constantly monitor and to secure an identical color match of each shade between batches we extensively research formulations. This rigorous protocol ensures our marker s can always be purchased with peace of mind.