diff --git a/lang/template.json b/lang/template.json
index 7555aeb..cc6daa7 100644
--- a/lang/template.json
+++ b/lang/template.json
@@ -114,7 +114,9 @@
  "Bell lifts or cuts around a frequency; shelves move everything above or below it; cuts remove it.": "",
  "Between lines": "",
  "Bitrate (kbps)": "",
+ "Blue": "",
  "Broadcast / encoders": "",
+ "Brown": "",
  "Browse": "",
  "Browsers and apps trust it like any website. Port 80 of each domain name has to reach the server; it is renewed on its own.": "",
  "COMING UP NEXT": "",
@@ -148,7 +150,7 @@
  "Clear pad": "",
  "Clear playlist": "",
  "Click an item in the list to select it": "",
- "Click to fire (plays over the main program); click a red, playing pad to stop it. Right-click a pad to assign or relabel.": "",
+ "Click to fire (plays over the main program); click a red, playing pad to stop it. Right-click a pad to assign audio, rename it or pick a colour.": "",
  "Click to pick a date": "",
  "Click ➕ and press the keys, or click Learn and press a pad, key or button on your MIDI controller. A key or control can only do one thing; giving it to another action moves it.": "",
  "Click ➕ to add a tab.": "",
@@ -156,6 +158,7 @@
  "Close": "",
  "Close all Additional windows": "",
  "Close tab": "",
+ "Colour:": "",
  "Command": "",
  "Comment": "",
  "Comments": "",
@@ -187,6 +190,7 @@
  "Day": "",
  "Days": "",
  "Default": "",
+ "Default colour": "",
  "Delete": "",
  "Delete from the station": "",
  "Delete request": "",
@@ -285,6 +289,9 @@
  "Go": "",
  "Go to (minutes:seconds)": "",
  "Go to a time in the track": "",
+ "Gold": "",
+ "Green": "",
+ "Grey": "",
  "HTTP GET URL": "",
  "HTTPS, certificate from a public authority": "",
  "HTTPS, the server's own certificate that you trusted": "",
@@ -342,7 +349,6 @@
  "L": "",
  "LAST TRACK": "",
  "LOG": "",
- "Label:": "",
  "Language": "",
  "Language loaded, translated texts": "",
  "Last 6 s of this track into the next one, with the fades as set": "",
@@ -457,6 +463,7 @@
  "Off: no sound card is used and the station only streams": "",
  "Ogg Vorbis (ffmpeg)": "",
  "Ogg: some servers show titles only for MP3/AAC": "",
+ "Olive": "",
  "On": "",
  "On / off": "",
  "On air": "",
@@ -473,11 +480,13 @@
  "Open playlist…": "",
  "Open the Removed tracks folder": "",
  "Opus in Ogg (ffmpeg)": "",
+ "Orange": "",
  "Outputs": "",
  "Outro ends when it drops": "",
  "Outro sound": "",
  "Overlap on cold endings": "",
  "PLAYBACK QUEUE": "",
+ "Pad name:": "",
  "Parametric": "",
  "Password": "",
  "Password (12+ characters for setup)": "",
@@ -490,6 +499,7 @@
  "Pick a sound file": "",
  "Pick the audio file": "",
  "Pick the ffmpeg program": "",
+ "Pink": "",
  "Pitch": "",
  "Play": "",
  "Play adverts / jingles from a rule": "",
@@ -531,6 +541,7 @@
  "Previous": "",
  "Profile:": "",
  "Projected start times": "",
+ "Purple": "",
  "Put a playlist tab on air": "",
  "Put the web portal on the internet with a Cloudflare Tunnel": "",
  "Queue all": "",
@@ -656,6 +667,7 @@
  "Show every file in the folder, not only audio": "",
  "Show every file, not only audio": "",
  "Show every track in the library or playlist next to the editor": "",
+ "Shown on the pad": "",
  "Shuffle upcoming": "",
  "Sign in": "",
  "Sign in to access station controls.": "",
@@ -709,6 +721,7 @@
  "Take": "",
  "Take out of the library and playlists": "",
  "Talking points, chart facts, dedications…": "",
+ "Teal": "",
  "Teaser mode — play only the first": "",
  "Templates": "",
  "Test API key": "",
diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index 1b4cfb3..9124ce0 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -437,6 +437,62 @@ pub(super) fn date_edit(ui: &mut egui::Ui, id: impl std::hash::Hash, value: &mut
     changed
 }
 
+/// Background colours offered in a cart pad's right-click menu.
+fn cart_colors() -> [(&'static str, [u8; 3]); 10] {
+    [
+        (tr("Blue"), [40, 80, 130]),
+        (tr("Teal"), [20, 120, 120]),
+        (tr("Green"), [46, 125, 50]),
+        (tr("Olive"), [110, 130, 30]),
+        (tr("Gold"), [190, 150, 20]),
+        (tr("Orange"), [205, 105, 30]),
+        (tr("Pink"), [185, 65, 125]),
+        (tr("Purple"), [110, 60, 160]),
+        (tr("Brown"), [120, 80, 50]),
+        (tr("Grey"), [90, 90, 90]),
+    ]
+}
+
+/// A cart wall pad: always exactly `size`, whatever the name, so the grid stays even.
+/// Long names wrap onto two lines and are cut off with "…" (the full name shows in the tooltip).
+fn cart_pad(ui: &mut egui::Ui, size: [f32; 2], label: &str, fill: Color32, enabled: bool) -> egui::Response {
+    let (rect, resp) = ui.allocate_exact_size(egui::vec2(size[0], size[1]), egui::Sense::click());
+    if ui.is_rect_visible(rect) {
+        let v = ui.style().interact(&resp);
+        let fill = if resp.is_pointer_button_down_on() {
+            fill.gamma_multiply(0.8)
+        } else if resp.hovered() && enabled {
+            fill.lerp_to_gamma(Color32::WHITE, 0.12)
+        } else {
+            fill
+        };
+        // WCAG relative luminance: black text where it contrasts more than white (above about 0.18)
+        let lin = |c: u8| {
+            let c = c as f32 / 255.0;
+            if c <= 0.04045 {
+                c / 12.92
+            } else {
+                ((c + 0.055) / 1.055).powf(2.4)
+            }
+        };
+        let lum = 0.2126 * lin(fill.r()) + 0.7152 * lin(fill.g()) + 0.0722 * lin(fill.b());
+        let text = if lum > 0.179 { Color32::BLACK } else { Color32::WHITE };
+        ui.painter().rect(rect, v.corner_radius, fill, v.bg_stroke, egui::StrokeKind::Inside);
+        let font = egui::TextStyle::Button.resolve(ui.style());
+        let mut job = egui::text::LayoutJob::simple(label.to_owned(), font, text, rect.width() - 10.0);
+        job.wrap.max_rows = 2;
+        job.wrap.break_anywhere = true;
+        job.halign = egui::Align::Center;
+        let galley = ui.painter().layout_job(job);
+        let pos = egui::pos2(rect.center().x, rect.center().y - galley.size().y / 2.0);
+        ui.painter().galley(pos, galley.clone(), text);
+        if galley.elided {
+            return resp.on_hover_text(label);
+        }
+    }
+    resp
+}
+
 fn fmt(secs: f32) -> String {
     let s = secs.max(0.0) as u64;
     if s >= 3600 {
@@ -2710,25 +2766,46 @@ impl App {
                     let pad: &mut CartPad = &mut core.cfg.carts[i];
                     let loaded = !pad.path.is_empty();
                     let on = loaded && playing.iter().any(|p| p.as_path() == std::path::Path::new(&pad.path));
-                    let label = if loaded { pad.label.clone() } else { format!("Pad {}", i + 1) };
+                    let label = if loaded && !pad.label.is_empty() { pad.label.clone() } else { format!("Pad {}", i + 1) };
                     let fill = if on {
                         Color32::from_rgb(200, 60, 60)
+                    } else if let Some([r, g, b]) = pad.color {
+                        Color32::from_rgb(r, g, b)
                     } else if loaded {
                         Color32::from_rgb(40, 80, 130)
                     } else {
                         Color32::from_gray(48)
                     };
-                    let b = ui.add_sized([pad_width, 54.0], egui::Button::new(RichText::new(label).strong()).fill(fill).wrap());
+                    let b = cart_pad(ui, [pad_width, 54.0], &label, fill, loaded);
                     if b.clicked() && loaded && may_play {
                         trigger = Some(i);
                     }
+                    let b = if loaded { b.on_hover_text(&pad.path) } else { b };
                     b.context_menu(|ui| {
                         if ui.button(tr("Assign audio file…")).clicked() {
                             self.pick(Pick::File(AUDIO.0, AUDIO.1), tr("Assign audio file"), move |_, v| Some(Dlg::Cart(i, v.into_iter().next()?)));
                             ui.close_menu();
                         }
-                        ui.label(tr("Label:"));
-                        ui.add(egui::TextEdit::singleline(&mut pad.label).desired_width(220.0));
+                        ui.label(tr("Pad name:"));
+                        ui.add(egui::TextEdit::singleline(&mut pad.label).desired_width(220.0).hint_text(tr("Shown on the pad")));
+                        ui.label(tr("Colour:"));
+                        ui.horizontal_wrapped(|ui| {
+                            ui.spacing_mut().item_spacing = egui::vec2(4.0, 4.0);
+                            for (name, [r, g, b]) in cart_colors() {
+                                let c = Color32::from_rgb(r, g, b);
+                                let picked = pad.color == Some([r, g, b]);
+                                let sw = ui
+                                    .add(egui::Button::new("").fill(c).min_size(egui::vec2(20.0, 20.0)).selected(picked))
+                                    .on_hover_text(name);
+                                if sw.clicked() {
+                                    pad.color = Some([r, g, b]);
+                                }
+                            }
+                        });
+                        if ui.add_enabled(pad.color.is_some(), egui::Button::new(tr("Default colour"))).clicked() {
+                            pad.color = None;
+                        }
+                        ui.separator();
                         if ui.button(tr("Clear pad")).clicked() {
                             *pad = CartPad::default();
                             ui.close_menu();
@@ -2743,7 +2820,7 @@ impl App {
                 core.trigger_cart(i);
             }
             ui.label(
-                RichText::new(tr("Click to fire (plays over the main program); click a red, playing pad to stop it. Right-click a pad to assign or relabel."))
+                RichText::new(tr("Click to fire (plays over the main program); click a red, playing pad to stop it. Right-click a pad to assign audio, rename it or pick a colour."))
                     .small()
                     .color(GRAY),
             );
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index f030be6..73e17a1 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -248,6 +248,8 @@ impl Default for AzuraConfig {
 pub struct CartPad {
     pub label: String,
     pub path: String,
+    /// background colour (sRGB); `None` uses the default pad colour
+    pub color: Option<[u8; 3]>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
@@ -915,6 +917,15 @@ mod rule_tests {
         assert!(c.rotations.is_empty() && c.ad_breaks.is_empty());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn cart_pads_keep_their_colour_and_old_pads_have_none() {
+        let old: CartPad = serde_json::from_str(r#"{"label":"ID","path":"/j/id.mp3"}"#).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(old.color, None);
+        let pad = CartPad { label: "News in".into(), path: "/j/news.mp3".into(), color: Some([200, 60, 60]) };
+        let back: CartPad = serde_json::from_str(&serde_json::to_string(&pad).unwrap()).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!((back.label.as_str(), back.color), ("News in", Some([200, 60, 60])));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn rules_follow_dates_days_hours_and_intervals() {
         // Tuesday 20 October 2026