Short answer
Shades of brown are normal. Green, orange, yellow, blue and purple stool usually come from food, dye, supplements or fast digestion. Black tarry stool, red or maroon blood, and pale or white stool are the three to take seriously, because they can point to bleeding or a liver or bile duct problem.
The stool color chart
Brown stool is usually normal. Green, orange, yellow, blue and purple stool usually come from food, dye, supplements or fast digestion. Black tarry, red or maroon, and pale or white stool can signal a medical problem.
Find the color closest to yours. The last column tells you how quickly to act.
| Color | Common causes | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | Normal bile pigment. Light to dark brown are all in range. | Nothing. This is the normal range. |
| Green | Leafy greens, green food dye, iron, fast digestion, diarrhea. | Usually fine. See a doctor if it lasts or comes with illness. |
| Yellow | Diet, or fat that is not being absorbed. Greasy and smelly suggests the second. | Watch. Get it checked if it lasts more than a couple of weeks. |
| Black | Iron, bismuth (Pepto-Bismol), black licorice, or bleeding in the upper gut. | Tarry and sticky: get care now. Otherwise check your medicines. |
| Pale, clay or white | Too little bile reaching the gut. Gallstones, liver or pancreas problems, some medicines, barium tests. | See a doctor promptly. Urgent in a baby. |
| Red or maroon | Beets, tomato, red dye, or blood from the lower gut such as hemorrhoids. | Blood needs a check. Heavy bleeding with dizziness is an emergency. |
| Orange | Carrots, sweet potato, orange dye, some antibiotics and antacids. | Usually fine. See a doctor if it lasts. |
| Blue or purple | Blue or purple food dye, blueberries. | Usually fine. |
Is brown stool normal?
Normal stool ranges from light tan to dark brown. The color comes from bile pigments your gut bacteria change as they pass through. Light brown and dark brown poop are both normal. Day-to-day shifts in shade are common and usually follow your diet, and dark brown can simply mean stool stayed in the gut a little longer.
See the full guide to brown stool, light brown and dark brown poop. Brown only tells you about color. To judge whether a stool is healthy, also look at its shape and texture with the Bristol stool chart.
What does green stool mean?
Green stool is common. It usually comes from leafy greens, green food coloring, iron supplements, or food moving through the gut too fast for bile to turn fully brown, as in diarrhea. It rarely signals a serious problem when you otherwise feel well. Read the full guide to green poop.
What does yellow stool mean?
Yellow stool can come from diet, but greasy, foul-smelling yellow stool that floats can mean your body is not absorbing fat well. Celiac disease, pancreas problems and some infections can cause this. Read the full guide to yellow stool.
What does black stool mean?
Black stool has harmless causes, such as iron tablets, bismuth medicines and black licorice. It can also mean bleeding in the stomach or upper gut, where blood turns black and tarry. Black, sticky stool with a strong smell needs medical care. Read the full guide to black stool.
What does pale, clay-colored or white stool mean?
Stool that is pale, gray, clay-colored or white usually means bile is not reaching your intestines. That can happen with a blocked bile duct, gallstones, or liver and pancreas disease. A barium test or certain antacids can also cause it. Read the full guide to pale and clay-colored stool.
White or gray stool belongs in the same group. It is treated the same way: see a clinician if it is not explained by a recent barium test or medicine.
What does red stool mean, and can it be blood?
Red stool can come from beets, tomato juice, red gelatin or drink mixes. It can also be blood. Bright red blood on toilet paper often comes from hemorrhoids or a small tear near the anus. Maroon or dark red blood mixed through stool can come from higher in the colon. Do not assume it is food unless you ate something red and it does not repeat. Read the guides to red stool and blood in stool, or see whether beets could be the cause.
What does orange stool mean?
Orange stool most often follows foods rich in beta-carotene, such as carrots, sweet potato and squash, or orange food dye. Some medicines, including the antibiotic rifampin and antacids containing aluminum hydroxide, can also turn stool orange. Orange stool that lasts for weeks without a food cause, or that looks pale orange and greasy, is worth raising with a clinician, because it can be the same fat-absorption pattern as yellow stool. Read the full guide to orange stool.
Many color changes come from what you took or ate. See foods, drinks and medicines that change stool color, and stool color during pregnancy.
What does blue or purple stool mean?
Blue and purple stool almost always come from food dye, such as blue frosting, drink mixes or candy, or from blueberries. A dye color will pass within a day or two. If stool stays an unusual color with no dye or food to explain it, speak to a clinician. Read the full guide to blue or purple stool, or see how food coloring changes stool.
Warning signs to know
These are signs that published medical guidance says need prompt or urgent care. The list is not complete, and ticking boxes cannot tell you whether you are ill. If you are worried, contact a clinician whatever you tick.
Questions people ask
What color should healthy poop be?
Healthy stool is usually a shade of brown, from light tan to dark brown. Green can also be normal when it comes from food or quick digestion.
Is light brown or dark brown poop normal?
Yes. Both light brown and dark brown poop fall within the normal range. A change in shade usually reflects what you ate and how long food took to pass through your gut.
Which poop colors are a warning sign?
Black and tarry stool, red or maroon blood, and pale, clay-colored or white stool are the colors most likely to signal a problem. They can point to bleeding or to a liver or bile duct condition, so they should be checked.
Can stress or anxiety change stool color?
Stress can speed up digestion, which can make stool looser and sometimes greener. It does not cause black, red or pale stool. Those colors need another explanation.
How long can food change stool color?
A food or dye color usually passes within one to three days. If the color is still there after that and you cannot link it to something you ate or took, get it checked.
Sources
Important. This page is general information only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional. StoolColor is not written or reviewed by a doctor, and using this site does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always ask a doctor or other qualified clinician about any symptom or medical question, and never ignore or delay professional advice because of something you read here.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. Information may be incomplete or out of date. Brand names are trademarks of their owners. StoolColor is not affiliated with those owners, or with the organizations whose publications it cites. See our medical disclaimer and terms of use.