This letter first demonstrates the color features of ambers and then a method to estimate their colors. The RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) color space and the HSV (Hue, Saturation, and Value) color space are used for data analysis. Four kinds of ambers: three of different colors (yellow, brown, and black) and an amber with an outer cover (AOC) created by solid resin or amber dirt are examined. The proposed method consists of masking, detection of AOC, and an estimation of amber colors. Experimental results for 185 images show that the proposed method can estimate amber colors with an accuracy of 90.3%. It is also shown that the yellow color is perfectly distinguished, and that the estimation accuracy of the three colors is 98.0%. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.