PSA: You can customize Valheim sign text for color-coded storage chests without downloading a single mod

Much to my embarrassment, while I was mid-complaint about my new wall of Valheim storage chests, a fellow Viking hit me with, "You know you can color code those signs, right?" Duh, of course I know that. Well, I swear I did, but totally forgot about the handy feature that doesn't require a single mod. In case you forgot too, I'm here to remind you—or teach you a quick tip for organizing Valheim storage with colorful text codes for signs.

Codes for sign colors

You can change a sign's text color in Valheim through markup codes. For those even vaguely familiar with traditional HTML, you won't need to close these style commands, but keep in mind you still have limited text space on a sign, so keep them short.

Color

Hex Value

Code

Red

#ff0000ff

Red sign

Green

#008000ff

Green sign

Blue

#0000ffff

Blue sign

Dark Blue

#0000a0ff

Dark Blue sign

Navy

#000080ff

Navy sign

Aqua

#00ffffff

Aqua sign

Lime

#00ff00ff

Lime sign

Yellow

#ffff00ff

Yellow sign

Orange

#ffa500ff

Orange sign

Magenta

#ff00ffff

Magenta sign

Brown

#a52a2aff

Brown sign

Maroon

#800000ff

Maroon sign

Purple

#800080ff

Purple sign

Silver

#c0c0c0ff

Silver sign

Grey

#808080ff

Grey sign

White

#ffffffff

White sign

You can use any 6-digit hex value, so check out the color code calculator on W3 Docs to find more, or reference the table I used from Unity. It's a fairly straightforward process, but I'll leave you with a few extra color-changing tips:

• Some of the color names listed above work in place of their hex code
• If using a color name, remove '#' and replace it with 'color='
  • Example: Red becomes Red sign

Codes for sign text size and style

Other markup attributes from the Unity guide also work in Valheim. You can use a few at a time for text styles like bigger italics, colorful bolds, or extra spacing and alignment.

Element

Description

Variables

Code

Size

Make sign text bigger or smaller

Recommended #'s: 3 through 12

Size

Italics

Italicizes sign text

Italicized

Bold

Bolds sign text (slight difference from default style)

Bolded

Underline

Underlines sign text

Underline

Strikeout

Strikes line through sign text

Strikeout

Align

Moves text to the sides or middle (center is the default alignment)

Left, right, center

Right

Highlight

Highlights sign text in yellow

Highlight

Line break

Go to next line by placing the code between words

\n

Line \nbreak

Supertext

Aligns text to top

Supertext

Subtext

Aliens text to bottom

Subtext

Unicode characters for signs

You can take your Valheim signs even further by adding Unicode characters. I find the W3 Schools chart to be the most helpful, but I've included a few below for reference.

Signs

Arrows

▲ ▼ ▶

△ ▽ ▷ ◁

︽ ︾ 》 《

↑ ↓ → ←

Hearts and stars

💕

❤ ♥

✨💫

☆ ★

Signs and transport

🚫 🛑 🚨 🚧

🛎 ♻ ⚠

🚢 🛶 🛷

🛥

Tools and weapons

🏹🧨 💣 🔮

⚔ 🗡

🎣 🔧 🔑

🗝 ⚒ 🛠 ⛏

Food

☕ 🍺

🥩 🍖 🍗 🥚

🌽 🥔 🥕 🍄

🍞 🍛 🥧

Nature and weather

🐝 🐎 🐟

🌱 🌿 🌷 🌳

🔥 ⛅ ⚡

☀ ☁ ☂ ❄ ☃ 🌡

Misc

✅ ⭕ ❌

🎩 👕 👖 💍

🧺 💰 💎

💊 💀 🦴

Example Valheim signs

You don't have to stop at just one code when customizing your text, so I've made a few examples you can use to test things out. Change the variables as needed, and remember to heed the 50-character limit—lest your signs wind up with awkwardly cut-off words or floating text.

Elements

Notes

Example

Size, color

Big red text, line breaks make some letters float off the sign

Big

Color, line break, unicode

Blue and white text to label your Deep North chests

Deep North \n❄

Color, bold, unicode

Bold orange text with a yellow money bag synmbol

💰Valuables

Color, unicode

White and red text for labeling trophy chests

▶ Trophies

Color, unicode

White and orange text to label your boss summoning items with

Boss Key 🗝

Color, unicode

Beige unicode symbol for labeling your loaves

🍞

Color, unicode

Red unicode symbol for labeling uncooked meat

🥩

Color, unicode

Light and dark blue unicode symbols for labeling gear

👕👖

Color, unicode

Light orange unicode for labeling mead

🍺

Color, unicode

Green unicode for labeling woodsy materials

🌿

Color, unicode

Blue unicode for labeling gems

💎