# Chopping Board Colour Chart: free UK download

Canonical: https://paddl-ai.co/templates/chopping-board-colour-chart
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02 by the Paddl team

Free printable chopping board colour chart for UK kitchens: which colour board for raw meat, fish, cooked food, salad, veg, bakery and allergen-free.

## In one sentence

UK kitchens use red boards for raw meat, blue for raw fish, yellow for cooked meat, green for salad and fruit, brown for raw vegetables, white for bakery and dairy, and purple for allergen-free orders. This free PDF chart sets that out for the wall, with a weekly board check.

Colour-coded chopping boards stop raw food and ready-to-eat food sharing a surface, which is one of the most common ways E. coli and Salmonella spread in a kitchen. The colours are a widely used industry convention rather than a legal requirement, but preventing cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food is the law, and an EHO will ask how you do it. This chart sets out the standard UK colours so everyone in the kitchen uses the same system.

## Why you need it

- Food hygiene law requires you to prevent cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food
- The FSA's E. coli O157 guidance expects separate equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food, or proper controls where that is not possible
- A chart on the wall means agency staff and new starters use the right board from their first shift
- Scored or stained boards harbour bacteria and should be replaced, so checking them is part of the system

## What is included

- The six standard UK chopping board colours plus purple for allergen-free
- Examples of what goes on each board
- A weekly board condition and replacement check

## Record sheets

- **Chopping Board Colours**: columns Colour, Use for, Examples
- **Weekly Chopping Board Check**: columns Week Commencing, Boards Checked, Boards Replaced (colour), Knives Checked, Checked By, Signature

## How to use it

1. **Print it and put it above the prep area** Where the boards are kept and where people choose one.
2. **Match your knives and storage** Many kitchens use colour-coded knife handles too, and a rack that keeps each colour apart.
3. **Wash boards properly between uses** A dishwasher at a high enough temperature, or hot soapy water followed by a sanitiser. Never just a wipe.
4. **Check them weekly** Use the check sheet to note boards that are deeply scored, warped or stained, and replace them.

## Tips

- Put a damp cloth under the board so it does not slip
- Store boards upright in a rack so they dry and do not touch each other
- Colour coding does not replace cleaning: a red board used for raw chicken then raw beef still needs washing in between
- If you only have room for two boards, keep one strictly for raw food and one strictly for ready-to-eat

Download the file from https://paddl-ai.co/templates/chopping-board-colour-chart (email required). The Paddl features that keep the same records: https://paddl-ai.co/features/routines, https://paddl-ai.co/features/equipment, https://paddl-ai.co/features/mobile-app.