diff --git a/share/man/man4/syscons.4 b/share/man/man4/syscons.4
index 6b9f6873626d..49b4c84aabf1 100644
--- a/share/man/man4/syscons.4
+++ b/share/man/man4/syscons.4
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 .\"
 .\" $FreeBSD$
 .\"
-.Dd June 21, 2016
+.Dd June 2, 2018
 .Dt SYSCONS 4
 .Os
 .Sh NAME
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 .Cd "options SC_NORM_ATTR=_attribute_"
 .Cd "options SC_NORM_REV_ATTR=_attribute_"
 .Cd "options SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR=_attribute_"
+.Cd "options SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS=_attributes_"
 .Cd "options SC_KERNEL_CONS_REV_ATTR=_attribute_"
 .Cd "options SC_DFLT_FONT"
 .Cd "makeoptions SC_DFLT_FONT=_font_name_"
@@ -341,6 +342,7 @@ above.
 .It Dv SC_NORM_ATTR=_attribute_
 .It Dv SC_NORM_REV_ATTR=_attribute_
 .It Dv SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR=_attribute_
+.It Dv SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS=_attributes_
 .It Dv SC_KERNEL_CONS_REV_ATTR=_attribute_
 These options will set the default colors.
 Available colors are defined in
@@ -348,6 +350,11 @@ Available colors are defined in
 See
 .Sx EXAMPLES
 below.
+.Dv SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS
+is a character string giving a sequence of attributes in binary format.
+The sequence will be repeated up to the number of CPUs.
+Beware that the string must not be null,
+since the kernel divides by its length.
 .It Dv SC_DFLT_FONT
 This option will specify the default font.
 Available fonts are: iso, iso2, koi8-r, koi8-u, cp437, cp850, cp865,
@@ -539,6 +546,23 @@ The reversed message will be black on red background.
 .Dl "options SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR=(FG_LIGHTRED|BG_BLACK)"
 .Dl "options SC_KERNEL_CONS_REV_ATTR=(FG_BLACK|BG_RED)"
 .Pp
+Provided
+.Dv SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR
+is not set, or is set to its default of bright white on black,
+the following line will set 4 red-ish colors
+for printing kernel messages in colors depending on the CPU.
+.Pp
+.Dl options SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS=\e"\ex0c\ex04\ex40\ex0e\e"
+.Pp
+The default scheme is probably better for up to 8 CPUs.
+Use a long string to get unique colors for more than 8 CPUs.
+.Pp
+To turn off all per-CPU coloring of kernel messages,
+set SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR to a non-default value,
+or use the default in a pattern of length 1.
+.Pp
+.Dl options SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS=\e"\ex0f\e"
+.Pp
 The following example adds the font files
 .Pa cp850-8x16.fnt ,
 .Pa cp850-8x14.font
diff --git a/sys/conf/NOTES b/sys/conf/NOTES
index d2e42b959756..06b05437f4bf 100644
--- a/sys/conf/NOTES
+++ b/sys/conf/NOTES
@@ -1474,6 +1474,7 @@ options 	SC_PIXEL_MODE		# add support for the raster text mode
 options 	SC_NORM_ATTR=(FG_GREEN|BG_BLACK)
 options 	SC_NORM_REV_ATTR=(FG_YELLOW|BG_GREEN)
 options 	SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR=(FG_RED|BG_BLACK)
+options 	SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS=\"\x0c\x0d\x0e\x0f\x02\x09\x0a\x0b\"
 options 	SC_KERNEL_CONS_REV_ATTR=(FG_BLACK|BG_RED)
 
 # The following options will let you change the default behavior of
diff --git a/sys/conf/options b/sys/conf/options
index 02c77224d367..dcfdf495e6cc 100644
--- a/sys/conf/options
+++ b/sys/conf/options
@@ -774,6 +774,7 @@ SC_DISABLE_KDBKEY	opt_syscons.h
 SC_DISABLE_REBOOT	opt_syscons.h
 SC_HISTORY_SIZE		opt_syscons.h
 SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR	opt_syscons.h
+SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS	opt_syscons.h
 SC_KERNEL_CONS_REV_ATTR	opt_syscons.h
 SC_MOUSE_CHAR		opt_syscons.h
 SC_NO_CUTPASTE		opt_syscons.h
diff --git a/sys/dev/syscons/syscons.c b/sys/dev/syscons/syscons.c
index 92ed069b63c7..dd2ecc4627ac 100644
--- a/sys/dev/syscons/syscons.c
+++ b/sys/dev/syscons/syscons.c
@@ -3153,6 +3153,17 @@ scinit(int unit, int flags)
     static u_char font_16[256*16];
 #endif
 
+#ifdef SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS
+    static const u_char dflt_kattrtab[] = SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTRS;
+#elif SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR == FG_WHITE
+    static const u_char dflt_kattrtab[] = {
+	FG_WHITE, FG_YELLOW, FG_LIGHTMAGENTA, FG_LIGHTRED,
+	FG_LIGHTCYAN, FG_LIGHTGREEN, FG_LIGHTBLUE, FG_GREEN,
+	0,
+    };
+#else
+    static const u_char dflt_kattrtab[] = { FG_WHITE, 0, };
+#endif
     sc_softc_t *sc;
     scr_stat *scp;
     video_adapter_t *adp;
@@ -3163,13 +3174,8 @@ scinit(int unit, int flags)
     /* one time initialization */
     if (init_done == COLD) {
 	sc_get_bios_values(&bios_value);
-	for (i = 0; i < nitems(sc_kattrtab); i++) {
-#if SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR == FG_WHITE
-	    sc_kattrtab[i] = 8 + (i + FG_WHITE) % 8U;
-#else
-	    sc_kattrtab[i] = SC_KERNEL_CONS_ATTR;
-#endif
-	}
+	for (i = 0; i < nitems(sc_kattrtab); i++)
+	    sc_kattrtab[i] = dflt_kattrtab[i % (nitems(dflt_kattrtab) - 1)];
     }
     init_done = WARM;