Walk into any hospital, and the scrubs tell you who does what, if you know the code. Here are the scrub colours most hospitals follow: green or teal for the operation theatre (OT), navy or teal blue for nurses and general clinical staff, burgundy for emergency and blood collection, and white for lab staff and doctors’ coats. No law sets these colours worldwide, so every hospital writes its own code.
This guide gives you a quick colour chart, what each colour means and who wears it, the rules Pakistan introduced in 2026, and a step-by-step way to choose scrub colours for your own hospital. We make medical and hospital uniforms in Rawalpindi, so the last part covers the fabric and shade checks we run before a hospital order goes into production.
Scrub colour chart: who wears what
The scrub colour chart below shows the patterns most hospitals follow. Use it as a starting point, then check your own hospital’s dress code, because colours change from one hospital to the next.
| Scrub colour | What it usually signals | Who usually wears it | Where you’ll see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy blue | Authority, trust; hides stains well | Senior nurses, doctors, nurse managers | Wards, ICU, OPD |
| Royal blue | Calm and approachable | Nurses and general clinical staff | Wards, clinics |
| Ceiling (light) blue | Clean and calm; low glare | Nursing assistants, students, OT staff in some hospitals | OT, general wards |
| Green or teal | Surgery; rests the eyes against red | Surgeons, anaesthetists, OT technicians | OT, recovery, endoscopy |
| White | Cleanliness and tradition | Lab staff, pharmacists, doctors’ coats; nurses in Pakistan since July 2026 | Labs, pharmacy, wards |
| Burgundy, wine or maroon | Urgency and energy; hides stains | Emergency staff, phlebotomists, some therapists | Emergency, blood collection |
| Grey, charcoal or black | Neutral and modern | Admin staff, imaging technicians, security | Reception, radiology, private clinics |
| Purple or plum | Compassion, specialist care | Paediatric and oncology teams, some senior nurses | Specialist units |
| Pink or printed | Warm and friendly | Paediatric and maternity teams | Children’s wards, labour rooms |
| Brown or earth tones | Calm, less clinical | Psychiatry and therapy teams | Mental health units |
In Punjab, the Punjab Healthcare Commission’s October 2026 directive sets three of these for covered hospitals and clinics: blue for doctors, green for paramedical staff, and white coats for lab staff. The Pakistan section below has the details.
What do different scrub colours mean?
Each scrub colour carries a mix of practical reasons (stain hiding, glare, visibility) and the impression it gives patients. Here is what each one means and when a hospital tends to pick it.
Navy blue scrubs
Navy blue scrubs signal experience and authority, which is why many hospitals give navy to senior nurses, charge nurses, or doctors. Navy is also the most forgiving colour on a long shift: it hides ink, iodine, and small stains better than any light shade. The trade-off in Pakistan’s summer is heat, since dark fabric absorbs more sunlight on the walk between blocks.
Royal blue and ceil blue scrubs
Royal blue and teal blue scrubs read as calm and approachable, so they suit staff who spend all day at the bedside. Ceil blue, the soft greyish light blue, is also common in operation theatres because it cuts glare under bright lights. Hospitals often use navy for senior staff and teal or royal for juniors, which makes rank visible at a glance.
Green and teal scrubs
Green and teal scrubs mean surgery in almost every country. Green sits opposite red on the colour wheel, so looking at a green gown between glances at blood and tissue rests a surgeon’s eyes and stops the after-image effect described in the history section below. That is why OT teams, anaesthetists and recovery staff wear green even in hospitals that use other colours everywhere else.
White scrubs and coats
White stands for cleanliness and is the oldest medical uniform colour. Labs, pharmacies and doctors’ white coats still use it, and Pakistan’s nursing council brought white back for all nurses in July 2026. White also tests well with patients: in a 2008 Cleveland Clinic study, adults rated nurses in white highest on all ten professionalism traits measured, while children and young adults showed little difference between uniforms. The downside is upkeep, since every stain shows.
Burgundy, wine and maroon scrubs
Burgundy, wine and maroon scrubs signal urgency and energy, which suits emergency departments, trauma teams and phlebotomy. The deep red hides blood stains well and stands out in a crowded emergency ward, so patients can find staff quickly.
Grey, charcoal and black scrubs
Grey, charcoal and black scrubs look modern and neutral. Hospitals use them for administration, imaging and radiology technicians, and security, while private clinics and dental or cosmetic practices often choose black for a polished look. Black hides stains but fades quickly if the dye quality is poor.
Purple, pink and printed scrubs
Purple, pink and printed scrubs soften the clinical feel of a ward. Paediatric, maternity and oncology teams use them to make children and anxious patients more comfortable. Prints work best on children’s wards; keep them out of the OT and emergency, where a plain colour code matters more than comfort.
Brown and earth-tone scrubs
Brown and earth-tone scrubs are rare, but psychiatry and therapy teams sometimes use them to make a unit feel less like a hospital. The muted shades help patients who find clinical settings stressful.
Scrub colours by role and department
Scrub colours by role follow a loose global pattern: blue for doctors and nurses, green for surgery, red tones for emergency, white for labs. The answers below cover the questions people search most.
What colour scrubs do doctors wear?
Doctors most often wear navy, royal blue, or grey scrubs, usually under a white coat that marks them out on ward rounds. Surgeons switch to green or teal blue in the OT. In Punjab, the Punjab Healthcare Commission now requires blue uniforms for doctors and says facilities must provide white coats or overalls.
What colour scrubs do nurses wear?
Internationally, nurses wear navy, royal blue or teal blue scrubs, with darker shades often reserved for senior or registered nurses. Pakistan is the exception: since July 2026, the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council requires white uniforms for all nurses, replacing the deep navy introduced in January 2024. ICU and OT nurses follow their own hospital’s policy.
What colour do surgeons and OT staff wear?
Surgeons, anaesthetists, scrub nurses and OT technicians wear green, teal or cerulean blue. These shades reduce eye strain under surgical lights and make blood easier to read against the fabric. Many hospitals keep OT scrubs for the theatre only, so a different colour in the corridor shows who has left the sterile zone.
What colour do emergency staff wear?
Emergency staff often wear burgundy, wine or dark red scrubs, and some hospitals use black or charcoal instead. The aim is to make the emergency team easy to spot in a crowded department and to hide stains during long, unpredictable shifts.
What colour do medical students and house officers wear?
Medical students and house officers usually wear a lighter shade than senior staff, such as ceil blue or grey, often with a white coat. Each college and teaching hospital sets its own rule, so students should check their department’s dress code before buying.
What colour do lab, pharmacy and support staff wear?
Lab staff and pharmacists usually wear white coats over scrubs or plain clothes, and the Punjab directive now makes white coats the standard for lab personnel. Admin, reception and imaging staff tend to wear grey, charcoal or black. Housekeeping and security staff wear their own designated uniforms, which the Punjab directive also covers.
Scrub colours in Pakistan: the 2026 rules
Pakistan now has two official uniform rules that decide scrub and uniform colours for many hospitals: the nursing council’s white uniform for nurses (July 2026) and the Punjab Healthcare Commission’s colour directive (October 2026). Most global scrub guides miss both.
| Rule | Applies to | What it requires | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNMC nurse uniform circular | Nurses across Pakistan | Female nurses: white shalwar kameez, white coat, white dupatta, black shoes. Male nurses: white shirt, white trousers, black shoes. Black jersey or coat allowed in winter. ICU and OT follow hospital policy. | 16 July 2026 |
| Punjab Healthcare Commission directive | Category I and II-A healthcare establishments in Punjab | Doctors in blue, paramedical staff in green, lab staff in white coats, sanitation staff in standard uniforms. Half sleeves for infection control. No uniforms outside hospital premises. Special kits for OT staff. 30 days to comply. | 30 October 2026 |
Nurses: back to white after two years of navy
The Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council reversed its January 2024 switch to deep navy and reinstated white for all nurses, with immediate effect. The council said white restores the traditional professional look and helps the public recognise nursing staff. For hospitals, this means nurse uniforms ordered in navy since 2024 now need replacing, except in ICUs and theatres, where the hospital sets the colour.
Punjab: blue for doctors, green for paramedics
The Punjab Healthcare Commission gave covered facilities 30 days to put doctors, paramedics, lab and sanitation staff into prescribed uniforms. Two rules affect the garment itself, not just the colour: uniforms must be half-sleeved, and staff may not wear them outside the hospital. Plan for short-sleeve scrub tops and enough sets per person to change on site.
News reports differ slightly on doctors: one says blue uniforms, another says facilities must provide white coats or overalls. Both can apply at once (blue scrubs under a white coat), but read the commission’s official notification before you place an order.
What this means if you run a hospital in Pakistan
If you are in Punjab, three colours are already decided for you: blue for doctors, green for paramedics, white for lab staff and nurses. Your remaining choices are the shades, the colours for OT, ICU, admin and support teams, and the fabric. Sanitation staff need their own set too; see our housekeeping uniforms for the options we make.
Why surgeons wear green: a short history
Surgeons wear green because white caused glare and after-images in the operating theatre. Until the early 1900s, surgeons operated in white gowns in white rooms to show cleanliness. Under bright lights, white reflected harshly, and staring at red blood and tissue left a green “ghost” image whenever a surgeon glanced at a white gown or wall.
In 1914, San Francisco surgeon Harry Sherman switched to green, a change the American College of Surgeons records in its history of surgical attire. Green cancels the after-image because it sits opposite red on the colour wheel, and it reflects less light than white. Over the following decades, operating theatres moved to green and later to blue, and the rest of the hospital gradually adopted colour codes of its own.
That history explains today’s pattern: green and blue in the OT for the eyes, darker shades on the wards for stains, and white kept for coats and labs, where it still signals hygiene.
How to choose scrub colours for your hospital
To choose scrub colours for your hospital, start with the rules that already bind you, then give each staff group one clearly different colour and lock the exact shade before ordering. These eight steps work for a small clinic or a large hospital.
- Check the rules first. Nurses follow the PNMC white uniform. In Punjab, doctors, paramedics, and lab staff follow the Punjab Healthcare Commission directive. Everything else is your choice.
- List every staff group and headcount. Doctors, nurses, OT, ICU, emergency, lab, pharmacy, admin, housekeeping, kitchen, and security. Headcount decides order size and how many spare sets you need.
- Keep the palette small. Four to six colours are easy for patients and staff to remember. Ten colours turn into guesswork.
- Separate by contrast, not shade. Navy next to cerulean blue works; royal blue next to cobalt does not. Red-green colour blindness is the most common type, so never rely on red versus green alone to tell two groups apart.
- Name each shade precisely. “Blue” means something different to every supplier. Approve a physical fabric swatch or colour code for each group and keep it on file for reorders.
- Add role labels. Embroider the role or department on the chest, or use colour-matched name badges, so nobody depends on colour alone.
- Plan non-clinical staff too. Reception, housekeeping and hospital security uniforms should look clearly different from clinical scrubs, so patients never mistake a guard for a nurse.
- Put the code on the wall. A simple colour chart at reception and on each ward tells patients and visitors who they are talking to.
If you are buying for the first time, our bulk uniform procurement guide walks through sourcing uniforms in bulk.
Fabric, fading and Pakistan’s heat.
A colour code only works if the colours stay the same after months of washing. Fabric, dye quality and climate decide whether your navy stays navy or turns patchy grey by the second summer.
- Pick a blend for colour, cotton for comfort. Polyester-cotton blends hold dye better through repeated hot washes than 100% cotton, while cotton breathes better. A blend is the practical choice for daily scrubs; pure cotton suits staff who put comfort first.
- Match colour to climate. Light shades such as ceil blue, white and light green stay cooler in summer heat. Navy, black and burgundy hide stains but trap more heat, which matters for staff who walk between buildings.
- Go half-sleeve where required. Punjab’s directive asks for half-sleeved uniforms for infection control, so order short-sleeve tops for covered facilities.
- Ask for a wash-fastness test. ISO 105-C06 is the international test for colour fastness to domestic and commercial laundering. A supplier should be able to tell you how its fabric scores.
- Order each colour from one dye lot. Two batches of “navy” can differ slightly. Ordering a full department at once, plus spare sets, keeps the colour consistent.
- Wash darks separately. Wash coloured scrubs inside out, keep them away from chlorine bleach, and never mix white uniforms with dark scrubs.
As a uniform manufacturer in Rawalpindi, Saad Enterprises makes scrubs, lab coats, and nurse uniforms from 30 sets, with your hospital’s logo or each department’s name embroidered on the chest.
Frequently asked questions
What do the different scrub colours mean?
Scrub colours show a hospital worker’s role or department. Green or teal usually means surgery, navy or teal blue means nursing or general clinical staff, burgundy means emergency, white means lab staff or doctors’ coats, and grey or black means admin or support.
Is there a universal scrub colour code?
No. No international law sets scrub colours, so each hospital writes its own code. In Pakistan, the PNMC sets white for nurses, and in Punjab the Punjab Healthcare Commission sets blue for doctors, green for paramedics, a nd white coats for lab staff.
What colour scrubs do doctors wear in Pakistan?
In Punjab, doctors must wear blue under the Punjab Healthcare Commission’s October 2026 directive, with white coats or overalls provided by the facility. Elsewhere in Pakistan, navy or blue scrubs under a white coat are common, and surgeons wear green in the OT.
What colour uniform do nurses wear in Pakistan?
White. Since July 2026, the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council requires white uniforms for all nurses, replacing the navy introduced in 2024. Female nurses wear a white shalwar kameez, coat, and dupatta; male nurses wear a white shirt and trousers. ICU and OT follow hospital policy.
Which colour is best for scrubs?
Navy blue is the most practical all-round colour because it hides stains and suits most roles. Green or cerulean blue is best for surgery, and lighter shades stay cooler in hot weather. The right colour is the one your hospital assigns to your role.
What is the most popular scrub colour?
Blue, in navy, royal, and teal shades, is the most widely worn scrub colour, followed by surgical green. Blue suits almost every role, darker blues hide stains, and patients link the colour with calm, dependable care.
Why do surgeons wear green scrubs?
Green reduces glare and eye strain under bright theatre lights. Because green sits opposite red on the colour wheel, it cancels the green after-image surgeons see after looking at blood. Surgeons began switching from white to green in 1914.
What do the scrub colours mean in Grey’s Anatomy?
In Grey’s Anatomy, surgical attendings wear navy, and interns and residents wear light blue. OB/GYN staff wore pink until season 19, when they switched to black. Many real hospitals use a similar split: darker blue for senior staff, lighter blue for juniors.
What colour scrubs do patients trust most?
In a 2008 Cleveland Clinic study, adults rated nurses in white uniforms highest on professionalism traits such as competence and reliability. Children and young adults showed little preference between uniforms, so the effect depends on who your patients are.
Can hospital staff choose their own scrub colours?
Only where the hospital allows it. Most hospitals assign colours by role, and nurses in Pakistan must now wear white. Private clinics often give staff more freedom, but check your dress code before buying.
Get scrubs made in your hospital’s colours.
Saad Enterprises makes scrubs, lab coats and nurse uniforms in Rawalpindi from 30 sets, with your logo or department names embroidered on the chest. Send us your staff list and colour code, and we’ll quote by department. Request a quote or message us on WhatsApp at +92 331 5050974.
