Tier list colors and what they mean

The classic tier color order

The most widely used tier list palette runs along a warm-to-cool gradient. Hot colors signal “best,” cool colors signal “worst”:

• S — Red (#ff5d5d): the hottest color for the top tier.
• A — Orange (#ff9a3d): still warm, still great.
• B — Yellow (#ffd23d): neutral-positive, solid.
• C — Green (#5fd66b): the midpoint, average.
• D — Blue (#43c5e0): cool, below average.
• F — Purple / dark blue: the coldest color for the bottom.

Why this color order works

The ramp borrows from things we already understand: heat maps, warning colors, and report-card intuition. Red reads as urgent and important; blue reads as calm and low-priority. Because the gradient is intuitive, a viewer can understand your ranking before they read a single label. That is also why it is worth keeping the warm-to-cool order even if you change the exact shades.

Choosing your own colors

You are free to recolor every tier. A few tips:

• Keep the warm-to-cool direction so the ranking stays readable.
• Use high-contrast text — dark labels on bright tiers.
• Pick a consistent saturation so the rows feel like one set.

Our tier list maker includes one-click color themes (Neon, Pastel, Sunset and more) plus a per-tier color picker, so you can match a brand or a vibe in seconds. Want the exact hex values? See the tier list color codes, or jump straight into the color tier list template to rank the colors themselves.