What color should urine be?

When you’re healthy and hydrated, your urine should fall somewhere between colorless and the color of light straw and honey. When you don’t consume enough fluids, your urine becomes more concentrated and turns a darker yellow or amber color.

Urine Color Chart Interpretation

Your pee may not be the most interesting thing about you, but it can be surprisingly informative. One day, it’s pale yellow and forgettable. The next, it may be darker, cloudier or some strange color.

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Most of the time, a bit of variation is perfectly explainable and no big deal. But there are times when color changes may be your body’s way of drawing attention to an issue.

So, what can the color or appearance of your pee tell you? Let’s find out from urologist Adam Cohen, MD.

What color should your urine be?

When you’re healthy and hydrated, the color of your urine should fall somewhere between pale yellow and light straw. The tint comes from pigments in waste products that your kidneys filter from your blood.

“It’s completely normal for the color of your urine to vary a little day by day,” says Dr. Cohen, “but it should stay within a certain range of yellow.”

Why does urine change color?

Urine is mostly water, so how hydrated you are affects the color of your pee. If you don’t drink enough fluids, your urine gets more concentrated and turns a darker shade of yellow or even amber.

But you may also see odd urine changes that bring in other sections of the crayon box. Usually, there’s a simple explanation. Certain foods, food dyes and medications can temporarily turn your urine a different hue.

But sometimes, an attention-grabbing color may be a sign of an infection or a bigger health issue.

“If you see something really unusual, don’t just ignore it — but also, don’t panic!” advises Dr. Cohen. “Many changes can be easily explained, though some may require tests to diagnose the cause.”

What different urine colors mean

Let’s explore what is typical and what deserves some extra attention when it comes to the color of your pee.

Urine colors and what they could mean about your health

Clear (transparent)

Clear urine sends a clear message: You may be drinking too much fluid. Overhydrating can dilute your pee to the point where you can’t see the color of any waste products flowing out, says Dr. Cohen.

Occasional clear pee isn’t a big deal, especially if you’re well hydrated. But if it’s ongoing, you may be lowering salt and electrolyte levels below what your body needs.

What if your urine is clear and you’re not knocking back glass after glass of water? That may signal an underlying kidney problem or diabetes, so it’s best to see a doctor to get some answers.

Pale yellow to light straw

As explained, urine that falls in the lighter yellow category usually signals that everything is working right and you’re healthy and hydrated.

Dark yellow or amber

Slightly darker urine is a sign of mild dehydration, says Dr. Cohen. This can happen if you’ve been outside sweating on a hot day or just finished a workout.

Once you drink some water, the color of your pee should lighten and go back to normal.

Brown

Brownish-looking urine typically means your dehydration has crossed a line into a more worrisome status. Get fluids ASAP.

If drinking doesn’t lighten up your urine, see a healthcare provider. A flow that’s dark brown could be caused by bile in your urine, a sign of liver disease. Rusty or brown-colored pee is also a symptom of porphyria, a rare disorder affecting the skin and nervous system.

Other potential causes include injury to your kidney’s cell lining due to dehydration or old, broken-down blood products. Each of these requires a closer look.

Orange

If your pee looks orange, it could be a sign of several things. You may be dealing with:

Dehydration
Tinting from something you consumed, like carrots, vitamin C supplements or certain medications like phenazopyridine (Azo® or Pyridium®)
A liver or bile duct condition

Rehydrate and contact your doctor if the orange color doesn’t disappear.

Pink or reddish

The explanation for a reddish pee color is probably as simple as what you ate. Vibrantly colored foods like beets, blueberries or rhubarb — or something with red food dye — may tint your tinkle.

But if you haven’t eaten anything like that, pink or reddish urine may be cause for concern. It could be a sign of:

Blood in your urine
Kidney disease
Cancers of the kidney or bladder
Kidney stones
Urinary tract infection
Prostate problems
Lead or mercury poisoning

Contact your doctor as soon as possible if the color doesn’t return to yellow quickly.

Blue or green

OK … this is definitely different. Most likely, it’s the result of something you ate (think heavily dyed foods), supplements (like certain B vitamins) or medications (such as the aptly named Urogesic Blue).

However, a rare genetic disease involving higher-than-normal levels of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia) can turn your urine blue or green, notes Dr. Cohen. Ditto for certain bacteria that can infect the urinary tract.

See a healthcare provider if you continue to urinate this color or are having bothersome urinary symptoms.

Cloudy

Urinary tract infections and kidney stones can cause urine to become a bit cloudy, milky or murky. Dehydration also could be the trigger.

Drink plenty of water if your pee turns hazy and call your doctor if the symptoms persist. Note that cloudy urine alone doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem or urinary tract infection if you aren’t having any other symptoms.

Final thoughts

You can tell a lot by looking at the color of your urine in the bottom of the bowl. Medical professionals can tell even more by doing the kind of analysis that comes with a urine test during a regular physical examination.

So, you’re not just putting urine in a cup at your doctor’s appointment. You’re also providing information — and that can be one of the best things you can do for your health.