Colour Index International (CI) is a reference database jointly maintained b
SDC Enterprises
and the

American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists AATCC—the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists— is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit professional association that provides test method development, quality control materials, educational development, and networking for textile an ...

. It currently contains over 27,000 individual products listed under 13,000 Colour Index Generic Names. It was first printed in 1924 but is now published solely on the Internet. The index serves as a common reference database of manufactured colour products and is used by manufacturers and consumers, such as artists and decorators. Colourants (both

dye Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French musician. He is known for the music video of the single "Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical ele ...

s and

pigment A pigment is a powder used to add or alter color or change visual appearance. Pigments are completely or nearly solubility, insoluble and reactivity (chemistry), chemically unreactive in water or another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored sub ...

s) are listed using a dual classification which use the Colour Index Generic Name the prime identifier and Colour Index Constitution Numbers. These numbers are prefixed with C.I. for example, C.I. Acid Orange 7 or C.I. 15510. (This abbreviation is sometimes mistakenly thought to be CL, due to the font used to display it.) The generic name lists first the class of dye (

acid dye An acid dye is a dye that is typically applied to a textile at low pH. They are mainly used to dye wool, not cotton fabrics. Some acid dyes are used as food colorants, and some can be used to stain organelles for medical microscopy. Acid dyes ...

disperse dye Disperse dye is a category of synthetic dye intended for polyester and related hydrophobic fibers. Disperse dyes are polar molecules containing anthraquinone or azo groups. It is estimated that 85% of disperse dyes are azos or anthraquinone dye ...

, etc.), then its hue (e.g., orange), followed by a number assigned by the Colour Index, in chronological order (e.g., Acid Orange 5, Acid Orange 6, Acid Orange 7). A detailed record of products available on the market is presented under each Colour Index reference. For each product name, Colour Index International lists the manufacturer, physical form, and principal uses, with comments supplied by the manufacturer to guide prospective customers. For manufacturers and consumers, the availability of a standard classification system for pigments is helpful because it resolves conflicting historic, proprietary, and generic names that have been applied to colours.

List of Colour Index Constitution Numbers

Colour Index arranges the CICN into 5 or 6 digit (from 1997 onwards) numbers grouped into numerical ranges according to the chemical structure. For further in depth reading see "Chemical constitutions in the ''Colour Index''™: A century of colourant classification" This is open source and free to read.

Print editions

*1st (1924) *1st Supplement (1928) *2nd (1956) Volume 1 *2nd (1957) Volumes 2 & 3 *2nd (1958) Volume 4 *2nd Supplement (1963) *3rd (1971) *3rd 1975 (''Volume 6'') *3rd 1982 (''Volume 7'') *3rd 1987 (''Volume 8'') *3rd 1992 (''Volume 9'') *''Pigments and Solvent Dyes'' ''edition (1997)'' *4th 2000 - online

References

{{reflist

External links

American Association of Textile Chemists and ColoristsColour Index InternationalSociety of Dyers and ColouristsHappy 100 year anniversary of the International Colour Index
Color organizations American companies established in 1925 1925 establishments in the United States Business services companies established in 1925

List of Colour Index Constitution Numbers

Print editions

See also

References

External links