Titanic Paint and Color Reference

by Art Braunschweiger, TRMA

Titanic’s colors as listed on this site have been determined over time based on archival descriptions, period advertisements, and historians’ recommendations.   This page displays on-line color samples  for all of Titanic’s colors, along with model paint recommendations.   While there is not a general consensus among modelers for all the paints listed, if a color is in general use within the Titanic modeling community it has been included here.  Note that all colors on the actual ship were in gloss paint, but should be finished FLAT on your model. (See the link to the article on "Painting your model for the greatest realism", listed after the index below.) 

Click on any line in the table to jump down the page, or scroll down to view them in order.
More information and articles appear below the index

  Last updated August, 2010. 

• Painting your model for the greatest realism (flat paint, scale effect and other important considerations)

• Why all the disagreement over which color is correct?

• Mixing your own paint color vs. using off-the-shelf paints

• Testor's Modeling Guide (available for purchase) - 155 pages, covers preparation, painting, airbrushing and more,
  and includes color charts as well as other model building information
  
  

• Painting the great liners - a TRMA research article by Bruce Beveridge (historical info)

• Humbrol (includes link to look up dealers)

• ModelMaster - Military Enamels

• ModelMaster - ModelMaster II Enamels

• PollyScale Military Acrylics

• Testors enamels

• Floquil RR Enamels (exceptionally wide range of browns and greys)

• Gunze-Sanyo - Mr. Color acrylics

• Tamiya

• Click here to search for model paints by color desired (also has color charts for many brands)
  

The antifouling was a paint called Red Lead.  While the modeling color to use is one of the most common questions, it’s also a color on which there's the most agreement.  The recommended color and brand is the choice of Harland & Wolff, whose representatives provided historical consultation for James Cameron’s Titanic. 

Titanic used unpainted canvas on the hatch covers (the ones without lights), the lifeboats, and the rope reels on the poop deck.  According to Bruce Beveridge, it was common practice to cover the hatch covers at sea with two layers of canvas to ensure watertightness.  This was also required and specified by the builders. The color for this canvas is somewhat subjective, but they should not be a “clean looking” color.  While new canvas was very white, it quickly lost its bleached white appearance after being out in the weather – and this was especially likely in the Belfast environment, with all the coal smoke in the air.  The ideal shade should be a somewhat dirtier color, with a little bit of grey and tan to cut down the white.

The wooden benches had slats of Teak wood, with side and center supports and armrests that were cast bronze.  It is unknown whether they were varnished or not. The bronze supports and armrests appear in photographs as approximately the same color as the wood, and may not have been black as often assumed.  (See the bench at far right, from a photo of Olympic's Poop Deck.)  There is also no forensic wreck evidence of the benches having been painted.  Whether the cast bronze was painted or appeared naturally dark is not known for certain, but either way the bronze sections appear the same color as the wood and both sections can painted the same color. 

The deck chairs were also teak, although the exact finish is unknown.  As they appear to have a sheen in the photographs (see above left), they were at least treated with a sealer and oiled.  Some information indicates that they may have been made from Burmese Teak, which has a golden brown color. They appear lighter than the windows, although darker than the rails.  The color for the deck chairs and the benches is estimated by the author as approximating the color of the natural teak treated to bring out the natural color, but not stained intentionally darker. 

The center section of the each chair was a rattan weave, and was a light tan in color (does not appear in the photo at left). 

Deck Chairs (Teak wood) - author's estimation of color:

recommended color for scale effect:

Center weaved Rattan section of deck chairs:

Docking Bridge –

Titanic's Docking Bridge and all stairs, supports, and vents were painted white except for the deck of the Docking Bridge, which was wood planked. The instruments were brass and the wheel was varnished teak, all of which were normally covered with canvas when not in use.

Doors and splats ("doormats") –

Handrails –

(Note - this section applies to the bulkhead-mounted handrails only. For all other handrails, see the section on Railings and the section on Ladders and Stairs.)
The handrails mounted along the bulkheads of the various passenger decks were all black on Olympic, and most likely intended to be the same on Titanic. However, it does not appear that the painting was completed on some of Titanic's handrails. The handrails on the bulkheads of the deckhouses should be white; all others should be black.

The lower part of the funnels were painted a unique color that is well-known as “White Star Buff”.  See the White Star Buff section for information.

Color of the stays (support wires) is covered in its own section.

Hull (black) and all other black-painted hardware and fittings –

The stair treads were unvarnished teak, and were the same color as the Deck Chairs.  Each stair tread had two brass traction plates screwed to them, side-by-side.  For extra detail these can be finished the same as the weathered brass on the ship.   The railings were finished the same as the other Railings in the passenger areas, with the exception of the top bar (handrail).  The handrails were covered with a woven grip along its entire length.  This should be painted the same color as the canvas.  .

On Olympic all the vertical bulkhead-mounted ladders were painted black. Titanic's were the same, with the exception of most of the ladders on the Boat Deck which apparently had not been painted black at sailing time and remained white.

The only two boats that may have been uncovered were Lifeboats A and B.  These were the two boats closest to the bow, and they were normally kept swung out for emergency use.  Unless you’re modeling these two boats uncovered, the interior color wouldn’t be visible on any of the lifeboats.

The falls were very dark hemp rope, and appear to be the same shade as the gunwales.  Both can be painted the same color as the deck chairs.  The "grab ropes" along the side were much lighter hemp.  The same color can be used as for the interiors. 

For the color of the canvas covers, see the canvas section.

Railings and Leadsman's platform–

Except for the top teak rail caps, the railings and stanchions on the passenger decks, Poop Deck and Forecastle Deck were painted white, the same color as the white on the hull and superstructure. The same applies to the railings on the roof of the Tank Room. The stanchions (posts) along the roof of the Officers' Quarters deckhouse (on either side of the funnel) were also white, although the wire would have appeared a burnished silver-grey. The handrails for the steps (the top bar of the railing that ran along the steps) were covered with a woven grip along its entire length.  This should be painted the same color as the canvas.  For the handrails mounted along the bulkheads, see the Handrails section.

The top rail caps on most but not all decks accessible to passengers were teak. There were also teak caps along the tops of the bulwarks of the superstructure. None of this

was varnished - it was most likely treated periodically with oil to maintain its condition and color. The teak used was most likely Burmese Teak and was most likely probably a faded golden-brown color. Photographs show the teak rail caps on the ship to be very light in color - much lighter than all the other woods. For a good photograph, see the Countess of Rothes photo that appears on p. 38 of Don Lynch's Illustrated History. Other photographs, such as the one at top right, show the rails to be slightly darker. The composite photograph below shows teak of the same color believed to have been used for Titanic, with a color match shown for the lightest and darkest shades within each photograph. The center color is the author's paint color recommendation, taking scale effect into consideration It is the same as the large color bar shown above the table of paint recommendations, and is intended to approximate the shade in the Countess of Rothes photo. For those who prefer a darker shade to match the railings in the photo at top right, an alternate mix is given.

The Leadsman's platform on either side below the bridge wing cabs would have also been oiled teak, and can be finished the same color.

There were several different types of roofs on Titanic. Their construction and color was as follows. (Refer to the diagram here for a color guide)

1. Sheathed with wooden deck planks: This includes the two raised roofs on the Boat Deck and the entire Officer's Quarters' deckhouse (but not including the two funnel casings in the middle of this deckhouse, and not including the roof over the Wheelhouse and Navigating Bridge). These roofs were planked, like the main decks, although with narrower planks. These should be finished the same as the main deck planking.

2. Steel: This was used for the boiler and engine casings and the roofs of several of the deckhouses that did not have passenger accommodations within. In some cases the roof was an extension of the funnel casings. This includes the following:

These casings and roofs were painted dark grey, with at least one exception

The exact shades of the grey paint used are unknown since all photographic evidence is black and white, with lighter shades especially susceptible to misinterpretation. It has been suggested that Titanic used the same greys that eventually entered the British Standard Colour chart as Light Admiralty Grey and Dark Admiralty grey. Both were widely used for naval ships in later years and, as with many British military colors, may have predated the color standard itself. These are only educated guesses. Note that the Light Admiralty Grey has a noticeable blue tint to it; for those modelers who prefer a more neutral grey, an alternative color is offered.

Stays and shrouds –

The stays and shrouds for the masts and funnels were galvanized steel and had a burnished silver-grey color.  The best way to replicate these is to use thread of the appropriate size and color, as this will give a superior appearance to anything painted.  See the Stays and Rigging reference table for more info and the correct size to use. 

Even with thread, though, the bottom of the funnel shrouds to about 8 feet off the deck (on the Boat Deck, about the height of the railings on the raised roofs) should be painted black.  The bottom part of the cable was spliced around an eye, whipped (wrapped) with small line for protection, and then coated with a weatherproofing material.  For this reason it’s OK to apply the black paint rather heavily to give the line some additional (but not excessive) thickness. 

The vents were painted white, the same as the superstructure. (For those tinting the white to achieve scale effect, consider tinting the vents just a slight bit darker, like the lifeboats. The small vents, when painted the same color as the superstructure, tend to look brighter in color, possibly because they're upraised and catch the light more.) Note that the photo at near right shows the vents on Olympic, which had black bases early on. This was not the case on Titanic, whose cowl vents were all white including the bases.

Some models and early artists' illustrations show the cowl vents with red interiors. This is incorrect - the funnels were painted white inside. They appeared darker from being in shadow and because all the cowl vents except the two on the roof of the reciprocating engine casing, and possibly the one to starboard of the #4 funnel deckhouse, had protective mesh screens over the openings. Modelers who have drilled out their cowls may wish to paint the interior with a grey-tinted white, or even a light grey, to achieve a shadow effect. This also applies if you haven't drilled out your vents, providing you have the skill and patience to paint the flat round surface where the opening would be. Swan-neck vents can be painted with black openings, whose openings appeared darker. Stokehold vents are best improved upon with photoetched grills painted white, with the plastic vent surface behind them painted a light grey..

The concrete vent base is barely visible in the photo at top right. For two closeup photos of the concrete bases, see p. 23 of Tom McCluskie's Anatomy of the Titanic. Finding a color for concrete is only a little less difficult than finding a color for wood, but two recommendations are listed below.

Waterways -

White Star Buff (lower funnel color) -

Historically, this is the Titanic color that’s been the subject of the most debate.   Titanic modelers are, at present, divided among several different colors as best representing White Star Buff. 

Artist Ken Marschall, who has spent a lifetime researching Titanic and her colors, favors the browner hue shown below.  The majority of the evidence suggests that the actual color when new, as it would have appeared up close on the ship itself, was a color in this range, but that when weathered, faded and/or seen in bright sunlight, it had the appearance of being paler and yellower.  Some evidence does record this color in the latter range, but this may be due to the factors mentioned.  Some modelers favor a paint with a paler, yellower tint, believing that it's a better choice based on how the the color often appeared.  At any rate no definitive color sample has ever been recovered from the wreck and the choice of model paint to use may depend in large part on how the modeler wishes his or her ship to appear.  Personal preference does play a large part here. 

Note- No specific color based on exact RGB values has ever been agreed on by TRMA historians or others.  No color is intended to be put forth as a TRMA recommendation or a definitive sample of the exact color.  White Star Buff varies noticeably based on minor changes in lighting and RGB values and it is impossible to select a color that will display as intended on all monitors under all lighting conditions. 

Windows -

The windows on Titanic were of three were made of steel, brass, and Teak, depending on their location. With only two exceptions, all the windows on Titanic were made of varnished teak.  The windows that were not made of Teak were the Officers' Quarters, which were steel; and the forward-facing windows on A-deck (overlooking the bow), which were brass.

The teak windows were finished to a dark red-brown color.  This is supported by photographs of Olympic, in which the teak windows appear very dark.  As red was known to cause an artificial darkening effect in early black-and-white photos, the finish must have had a strong red component to the stain.  The non-teak windows were most likely painted to match the varnished teak, and so no distinction has been made between the colors of these different window types.

(Note: this photo is from Olympic, and shows the 1st Class Gymnasium with black handrails. Titanic's gymnasium handrails were white - see the Handrails section.)

recommended color for scale effect: