Colour Index International is a reference database jointly maintained by the Society of Dyers and Colourists

Society of Dyers and Colourists

The Society of Dyers and Colourists is an international professional society, with headquarters in Bradford, United Kingdom, specializing in colour in all its manifestations. Founded in 1884, it was granted a Royal Charter of Incorporation in 1963...

 and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists

American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists is a not-for-profit association that provides test method development, quality control materials, and professional networking for textile professionals throughout the world.-Activities:...

. It was first printed in 1925 but is now published exclusively on the web. The index serves as a common reference database of manufactured colour products and is used by manufacturers and consumers, such as artists and decorators.

Colorants (both dyes and pigments) are listed according to Colour Index Generic Names and Colour Index Constitution Numbers. These numbers are prefixed in Brazil and various other countries with C.I. or CI, for example, CI 15510. This abbreviation is sometimes thought to be CL, due to the font used to display the information. 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.

Colour index numbers

The colour index numbers are grouped to ranges according to the chemical structure.

Structure	Range	Category
Nitroso Nitroso Nitroso refers to a functional group in organic chemistry which has the general formula RNO. Nitroso compounds are a class of organic compounds containing the nitroso functional group, R−N=O....	10000-10299
Nitro	10300-10999
Monoazo Azo compound Azo compounds are compounds bearing the functional group R-N=N-R', in which R and R' can be either aryl or alkyl. IUPAC defines azo compounds as: "Derivatives of diazene , HN=NH, wherein both hydrogens are substituted by hydrocarbyl groups, e.g. PhN=NPh azobenzene or diphenyldiazene." The more...	11000-19999	:Category:Azo dyes
Diazo Azo compound Azo compounds are compounds bearing the functional group R-N=N-R', in which R and R' can be either aryl or alkyl. IUPAC defines azo compounds as: "Derivatives of diazene , HN=NH, wherein both hydrogens are substituted by hydrocarbyl groups, e.g. PhN=NPh azobenzene or diphenyldiazene." The more...	20000-29999	:Category:Azo dyes
Stilbene Stilbene -Stilbene, is a diarylethene, i.e., a hydrocarbon consisting of a trans ethene double bond substituted with a phenyl group on both carbon atoms of the double bond. The name stilbene is derived from the Greek word stilbos, which means shining....	40000-40799
Diarylmethane	41000-41999	:Category:Diarylmethane dyes
Triarylmethane	42000-44999	:Category:Triarylmethane dyes
Xanthene Xanthene Xanthene is a yellow organic heterocyclic compound. Its chemical formula is 1310. It is soluble in diethyl ether. Its melting point is 101-102 °C and its boiling point is 310-312 °C...	45000-45999
Acridine Acridine Acridine, C13H9N, is an organic compound and a nitrogen heterocycle. Acridine is also used to describe compounds containing the C13N tricycle....	46000-46999	:Category:Acridine dyes
Quinoline Quinoline Quinoline is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound. It has the formula C9H7N and is a colourless hygroscopic liquid with a strong odour. Aged samples, if exposed to light, become yellow and later brown...	47000-47999	:Category:Quinoline dyes
Methine Methine In chemistry, methine is a trivalent functional group CH, derived formally from methane. The methine group consists of a carbon atom bound by two single bonds and one double bond, where one of the single bonds is to a hydrogen...	48000-48999
Thiazole Thiazole Thiazole, or 1,3-thiazole, is a heterocyclic compound that contains both sulfur and nitrogen; the term 'thiazole' also refers to a large family of derivatives. Thiazole itself is a pale yellow liquid with a pyridine-like odor and the molecular formula C3H3NS...	49000-49399	:Category:Thiazole dyes
Indamine	49400-49699
Indophenol Indophenol Indophenol is an artificial blue metachromatic dye, obtained by the action of phenol on certain nitrogenous derivatives of quinone. Indophenol resembles the color indigo in appearance...	49700-49999	:Category:Indophenol dyes
Azine Azine Azines are a functional class of organic compounds, formed from the condensation reaction of two equivalents of an aldehyde or ketone with one equivalent of hydrazine...	50000-50999	:Category:Azin dyes
Oxazine	51000-51999	:Category:Oxazin dyes
Thiazine Thiazine Thiazines are organic compounds containing a ring of four carbon, one nitrogen and one sulfur atom. Chemicals that include thiazine are used for dyes, tranquilizers and insecticides.-See also:*Methylene blue*Phenothiazine*Heterocyclic compound*Morpholine...	52000-52999	:Category:Thiazin dyes
Aminoketone Aminoketone Aminoketones are compounds containing both a ketone group and an amine. An example is the phenethylamine stimulant cathinone....	56000-56999
Anthraquinone Anthraquinone Anthraquinone, also called anthracenedione or dioxoanthracene is an aromatic organic compound with formula . Several isomers are possible, each of which can be viewed as a quinone derivative...	58000-72999	:Category:Anthraquinone dyes
Indigoid Indigo dye Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...	73000-73999
Phthalocyanine Phthalocyanine Phthalocyanine is an intensely blue-green coloured macrocyclic compound that is widely used in dyeing. Phthalocyanines form coordination complexes with most elements of the periodic table...	74000-74999	:Category:Phthalocyanines
Inorganic pigments	77000-77999	:Category:Inorganic pigments

External links

• American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
• Colour Index International
• Society of Dyers and Colourists