The British Colour Council System and the New Zealand Army, 1950–1996
Uniform colours within military organisations serve purposes far beyond simple decoration. They convey regimental identity, reinforce tradition, and provide visible markers of belonging within the military hierarchy. At the same time, the colours used in military uniforms must be reproducible across multiple manufacturers and materials, requiring clear technical standards for dyeing and production.
Throughout much of the twentieth century, the New Zealand Army relied upon a mixture of long-standing British regimental traditions and modern colour standardisation systems to define the colours of its uniforms and insignia. One of the most important technical frameworks underpinning this system was the British Colour Council (BCC) colour classification system.
Although rarely mentioned explicitly in published regulations, surviving New Zealand Army Dress Committee papers and policy discussions demonstrate that BCC colour codes were used, particularly from the early 1960s onward, to define corps colours, beret shades, and elements of ceremonial dress.[1]
The use of this system is particularly visible in the Army’s logistic and technical corps, including:
- Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps (RNZASC) and the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport (RNZCT)
- Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (RNZAOC)
- Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RNZEME)
By examining archival records and uniform documentation, it is possible to reconstruct how the BCC colour system shaped the visual identity of these organisations from 1950 to 1996.
The British Colour Council System
The British Colour Council developed one of the earliest standardised colour classification systems used across British industry during the twentieth century. The system assigned numerical references to specific colours, allowing textile manufacturers, clothing contractors, and government departments to refer to precise shades without ambiguity.[2]
For military organisations, the advantages were considerable:
- consistent dyeing of uniform fabrics
- precise colour specification in procurement contracts
- reproducibility across different suppliers
- long-term stability of regimental colour schemes
Under this system, a colour could be defined by both a descriptive name and a numerical reference.
Examples recorded in New Zealand Army documentation include:
| BCC# | Official Designation |
| 1 | White |
| 6 | Indian Yellow |
| 26 | Tartan Green |
| 27 | Rifle Green |
| 38 | Ruby |
| 39 | Maroon |
| 44 | Steel Blue |
| 48 | Indigo |
| 49 | Oxford Blue |
| 50 | Blue Black |
| 72 | Khaki |
| 80 | Cedar Green |
| 82 | Grebe |
| 85 | Adonis Blue |
| 86 | Spectrum Blue |
| 90 | Midnight Blue |
| 105 | Cossack Green |
| 110 | Royal Purple |
| 113 | Bunting Yellow |
| 114 | Gold |
| 134 | Horse Chestnut |
| 147 | Smalt |
| 154 | Slate Grey |
| 175 | Cyprus Green |
| 188 | French Grey |
| 191 | Cambridge Blue |
| 192 | Purple Navy |
| 193 | Powder Blue |
| 194 | Pompadour Blue |
| 197 | Royal Blue |
| 209 | Post Office Red |
| 210 | Khaki Drab |
| 211 | Sand |
| 219 | Purple Navy |
| 220 | Jet Black |
| 227 | Leaf Green |
| 236 | Donkey Brown |
| 238 | Chocolate Brown |
The appearance of these codes in Army dress documentation demonstrates that colour choices were not merely traditional but were often anchored in a formalised colour reference system.
The New Zealand Army Dress Committee served as the central authority overseeing uniform policy and corps distinctions, reviewing proposals relating to colours, badges, and dress embellishments during regular meetings at Army Headquarters.[3]
The 1962 Beret Colour Proposal
One of the clearest examples of BCC usage appears in a 1962 Army Dress Committee discussion examining the possibility of introducing corps-specific berets.
The proposal defined colours using BCC codes rather than descriptive terminology alone.
| Corps | Colour | BCC |
| Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps | Jet Black | 220 |
| New Zealand Regiment | Rifle Green | 27 |
| New Zealand SAS | Maroon | 39 |
| Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps | Ruby (Dull Cherry) | 38 |
| Royal New Zealand Provost Corps | Royal Blue | 197 |
| Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps | Grebe Grey | 82 |
| New Zealand Women’s Royal Army Corps | Tartan Green | 26 |
| Technical and logistic corps | Purple Navy | 219 |
If implemented fully, this proposal would have introduced a distinctive colour-coded beret system across the Army.
However, the Dress Committee ultimately recommended retaining a common Purple Navy beret for most corps, noting that the colour aligned more closely with existing service dress and simplified clothing supply arrangements.
This decision illustrates the constant tension between symbolic identity and practical logistics that has always shaped military dress policy.
Corps Colours and the BCC Framework
Although the full beret colour scheme was not adopted, BCC-referenced colours continued to influence corps identity across the Army.
Certain colours became closely associated with particular branches:
- Royal Blue (BCC 197) – Provost Corps and later the Royal New Zealand Military Police
- Rifle Green (BCC 27) – introduced as the universal Army beret colour in 1999
- Ruby / Dull Cherry (BCC 38) – medical services
- Purple Navy (BCC 219) – technical and logistic corps traditions
These colours appeared not only on berets but across numerous elements of regimental dress.
Typical applications included:
- corps flags
- lanyards
- shoulder titles
- mess jacket collars and cuffs
- mess kit waistcoats
- mess trouser stripes
- cummerbunds
- female mess kit shoulder sashes
- stable belts
By repeating colours across multiple uniform elements, each corps maintained a recognisable visual identity.
Colour Usage in Logistic Corps Flags
The influence of the British Colour Council colour system is particularly visible in the design of the flags used by the New Zealand Army’s logistic and technical corps. Dress Committee documentation indicates that the colours used in these flags were not selected arbitrarily, but were drawn from a small palette of standardised BCC shades. This ensured that regimental colours could be reproduced consistently across flags, uniforms, and ceremonial items.
A reconstruction of the principal colours used in the flags of the three major logistic corps illustrates how this system operated in practice.
| Traditional Colour | BCC Designation | BCC No. | RNZASC/CT Flag Use | RNZAOC Flag Use | RNZEME Flag Use |
| White | White | 1 | Primary field colour | – | – |
| Gold | Gold | 114 | Primary field colour | – | Secondary elements |
| Royal Blue | Royal Blue | 197 | Secondary field colour | – | – |
| Post Office Red | Post Office Red | 209 | – | Primary field colour | Secondary elements |
| Purple Navy | Purple Navy | 219 | – | Secondary field colour | Primary field colour |
These colours correspond closely with the broader regimental colour identities of the corps concerned.[4]
- The Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps and later the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport incorporated white, blue, and gold elements in its flag design, reflecting the traditional colours associated with transport services within the British and Commonwealth military tradition.
- The Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps employed a combination of red and purple navy in its flag, colours closely associated with ordnance heraldry and long used within Commonwealth ordnance organisations.
- The Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers adopted a palette centred on purple navy, with gold and red elements reflecting the technical and engineering traditions inherited from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers of the British Army.
The use of BCC-referenced colours ensured that these flags could be reproduced consistently by textile manufacturers while preserving the distinctive visual identity of each corps.
Layered Regimental Colour Systems
Analysis of these dress elements suggests that corps identity was constructed through layered colour combinations.
Typically, a corps colour scheme consisted of:
- Primary corps colour
- Secondary contrast colour
- Neutral structural colours
This approach reflected traditional British regimental practice while also utilising the standardised BCC reference system.
Stable Belts and Regimental Identity
Stable belts were another important visual expression of corps colour identity.
Examples recorded in Dress Committee papers include:
| Corps | Stable Belt Pattern |
| RNZASC / RNZCT | Navy blue with red and white stripes |
| RNZAOC | Navy blue with three red stripes |
| RNZEME | Dark blue with red and yellow stripes |
The adoption and regulation of these distinctions were overseen by the Army Dress Committee, which regularly considered submissions concerning corps embellishments and uniform distinctions.[5]
The Wider NZ Army Colour System, 1950–1990
Beyond corps distinctions, the New Zealand Army operated a broader uniform colour system built around several overlapping layers.
These included:
- BCC-coded corps colours
- Service dress colours such as khaki and dark blue
- Functional clothing colours for training and tropical environments
- Female uniform colour systems
- Combat clothing colours
Across the period 1950–1990 the dominant colour trends evolved as follows:
| Period | Colour System |
| 1950s | Khaki service and battledress systems |
| 1960s | Expansion of corps colour identity |
| 1970s | Rationalisation of dress regulations |
| 1980s | Green Dacron and disruptive pattern combat clothing |
| Late 1980s | Debate over simplified colour systems |
Dress Committee discussions in the late 1980s even explored the possibility of a simplified uniform system described as “a colour for all seasons,” reflecting wider efforts to rationalise Army clothing scales and reduce logistical complexity.[6]
Combat Clothing and the Shift to Camouflage
During the 1960s and 1970s the Army gradually replaced earlier uniform systems such as:
- khaki battledress
- green drill tropical clothing
These were eventually superseded by Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) combat clothing.[7]
Unlike regimental colours and ceremonial uniform elements, camouflage fabrics were not standardised through the British Colour Council system. Instead, they were produced according to textile dye specifications defined in Ministry of Defence procurement contracts.
As a result, small variations in shade frequently appeared between different production batches of combat clothing. Contemporary Army documentation records concerns about variations in colour and fabric consistency in early combat clothing trials.
This distinction highlights an important technical difference between ceremonial uniform colours and operational camouflage systems.
From BCC to Pantone: The Modernisation of Colour Standards
While the British Colour Council system provided an effective framework for textile colour specification during much of the twentieth century, by the late Cold War period it was increasingly replaced by a newer international standard, the Pantone Matching System (PMS).
The Pantone system was introduced in 1963 by Pantone Inc. It created a universal numerical reference system allowing colours to be reproduced consistently across printing, manufacturing, and design industries.[8]
By the 1980s Pantone had effectively become the global standard for colour specification in print and design, gradually replacing earlier systems such as those developed by the British Colour Council.
RNZALR and the Adoption of Pantone Colours
The transition from BCC to Pantone standards is reflected in the modern identity of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment (RNZALR).
When the RNZALR was formed in 1996, combining the traditions of the RNZCT, RNZAOC, and RNZEME, its regimental identity adopted a modern colour specification system rather than relying on earlier BCC references.
The Regiment selected Pantone PMS 274B as its core regimental colour.
Pantone 274B is a deep blue-purple shade that reflects earlier traditions associated with the technical and logistic branches of the Army, including colours historically described as “Purple Navy.”
The adoption of Pantone ensured that the regimental colour could be reproduced consistently across:
- Flags
- Insignia
- ceremonial items
- printed publications
- digital media
- regimental branding
In this sense, the Pantone system represents a modern continuation of the same principles that once underpinned the BCC colour system.
Digital Equivalents for Historical BCC Colours
| BCC | Colour | HEX | RGB |
| 1 | White | #FFFFFF | 255,255,255 |
| 26 | Tartan Green | #1B5E3A | 27,94,58 |
| 27 | Rifle Green | #2A4B3C | 42,75,60 |
| 38 | Ruby | #9C1C2B | 156,28,43 |
| 39 | Maroon | #7A1F2B | 122,31,43 |
| 82 | Grebe Grey | #7C8083 | 124,128,131 |
| 197 | Royal Blue | #1F4FA3 | 31,79,163 |
| 209 | Post Office Red | #C1121F | 193,18,31 |
| 219 | Purple Navy | #26204D | 38,32,77 |
| 220 | Jet Black | #000000 | 0,0,0 |
These approximations allow historical colour systems to be represented accurately in modern graphics and publications.
Conclusion
The New Zealand Army’s use of the British Colour Council system offers revealing insights into the intersection of tradition, identity, and logistics in military dress.
Throughout the mid-twentieth century, BCC colour references allowed corps identities to be defined precisely while ensuring that uniforms could be manufactured consistently across different suppliers. Logistic and technical corps such as the RNZCT, RNZAOC, and RNZEME provide some of the clearest examples of this system in practice.
Over time, however, industrial colour standards evolved. By the late twentieth century, the Pantone Matching System had become the dominant international colour reference system, eventually replacing earlier systems such as BCC.
The adoption of Pantone PMS 274B by the RNZALR illustrates how the Army continues to balance historical tradition with modern technical standards.
Although the systems used to define colours have changed, the purpose remains the same: colour continues to serve as a powerful symbol of regimental identity, linking soldiers to their corps, their history, and the traditions of the New Zealand Army.
Notes:
[1] “Conferences – New Zealand Army Dress Committee,” Archives New Zealand No R17188110 (1962-67).
[2] British Colour Council, The British Colour Council Dictionary of Colour for Interior Decoration (1949). https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=KpL7zwEACAAJ.
[3] “Equipment Administration: Research & Development – Projects Personal Load Carrying Equipment: Ammunition Pouches,” Archives New Zealand No R17231111 (1972-1977).
[4] Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Lord, New Zealand Army distinguishing patches, 1911-1991 (Wellington, N.Z. : M. Thomas and C. Lord, 1995, 1995), Bibliographies, Non-fiction.
[5] Army Dress Committee, Corps Dress Embellishments and Stable Belt Proposals, Army General Staff correspondence, 1970s “NZ Dress Military Forces Regulations 1971-1988,” Archives New Zealand No R17312584 (1971 88).
[6] Army Dress Committee, General Business – Army Dress for the 1990s, Army Headquarters meeting papers, 1987 “NZ Dress Military Forces Regulations 1971-1988.”
[7] “NZ Dress Military Forces Regulations 1971-1988.”
[8] L. Herbert and L. Mead, The King of Color: The Story of Pantone and the Man Who Captured the Rainbow (Linda T Mead, 2019). https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=ZkHnwAEACAAJ.
