The Fitzpatrick scale (also Fitzpatrick skin typing test, or Fitzpatrick phototyping scale) is a numerical classification schema for human skin color. It was developed in 1975 by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, a Harvard dermatologist, as a way to classify the typical response of different types of skin to ultraviolet (UV) light. Later, it was updated to also contain a wider range of skin types.

The following list shows the six categories of the Fitzpatrick scale

Type I (scores 0–6) Pale white; blond or red hair; blue eyes; freckles — Always burns, never tans

Type II (scores 7–13) White; fair; blond or red hair; blue, green, or hazel eyes — Usually burns, tans minimally

Type III (scores 14–20) Cream white; fair with any hair or eye color; quite common — Sometimes mild burn, tans uniformly

Type IV (scores 21–27) Moderate brown; typical Mediterranean skin tone — Rarely burns, always tans well

Type V (scores 28–34) Dark brown; Middle Eastern skin types — Very rarely burns, tans very easily

Type VI (scores 35–36) Deeply pigmented dark brown to black — Never burns, tans very easily