A **colour** in heraldic tincture is any tincture that is not a metal or a fur: Gules (red), Azure (blue), Sable (black), Vert (green) and Purpure (purple), together with the less common Murrey, Sanguine and Tenne. Colours are placed upon metals, and metals upon colours, in accordance with the rule of tincture. The convention provides high contrast at distance and is one of the practical foundations of good flag design.
**Example**: Gules, Azure and Or (red, blue and gold) appear together in many royal standards, alternating colour and metal to satisfy the rule of tincture.
**See also**: [metal-heraldic](/glossary/metal-heraldic/), [tincture](/glossary/tincture/), [gules](/glossary/gules/), [azure](/glossary/azure/)