Colored vinyl encompasses any vinyl record pressed in a non-standard color. This includes solid colors (red, blue, green, white, yellow), translucent or transparent pressings, splatter patterns (one color with flecks of another), marble/swirl effects, half-and-half splits, and even glow-in-the-dark variants. The pigments are mixed into the PVC compound before pressing.
Modern vinyl releases frequently offer colored variants as limited editions, often exclusive to specific retailers, indie record stores, or the artist's own webstore. A single album might have 5-10 different color variants, each limited to a few hundred or thousand copies. This practice has become a major driver of vinyl collecting culture and Record Store Day enthusiasm.
A common question is whether colored vinyl sounds worse than black vinyl. In theory, the carbon black additive in standard vinyl provides slightly better groove definition. In practice, the difference is negligible on modern pressings from quality plants. What matters far more is the mastering quality, pressing plant, and your playback equipment. Buy the color you love — the audio difference is imperceptible to most listeners.
Some of the most valuable colored vinyl records sell for thousands — a 1978 Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen" on clear vinyl has sold for over $10,000.