The roof in ancient Chinese building is sloped roof which plays an important role in chromatic town-scope. In earlier time, the colors in roofs were gray. With the development of technique in tiles making, tiles color was becoming colorful. However, the color usage in ancient architecture is regulated by hierarchy and the theory of five colors and five essences. Even there were a lot of colored glaze pieces in construction, only very few colors were used in royal and temple buildings' roof Those regulations and laws made the characters of roof colors in different zones outstanding and legible. With specific color samples of different dynasties tested on site, and related laws and documentations analysis, as well as the theory of five colors and five essences, this article reports research on the characters of the roof colors in different periods, to draw out the turning points and reasons of roof color changes in crucial periods. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 35, 246-266, 2010; Published online 29 April 2010 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley. corn). DOI 10.1002/col.20564