Colour Index International


Colour Index™ International is a reference database jointly maintained by and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. 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 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. The generic name lists first the class of dye, then its hue, followed by a number assigned by the Colour Index, in chronological order.
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 numbers grouped into numerical ranges according to the chemical structure.
StructureRangeCategory
Nitroso10000–10299
Nitro10300–10999
Monoazo11000–19999:Category:Azo dyes
Disazo20000–29999:Category:Azo dyes
Trisazo30000–34999:Category:Azo dyes
Polyazo35000–36999:Category:Azo dyes
Azoic37000–39999:Category:Azo dyes
Stilbene40000–40799
Carotenoid40800–40999
Diarylmethane41000–41999:Category:Diarylmethane dyes
Triarylmethane42000–44999:Category:Triarylmethane dyes
Xanthene45000–45999
Acridine46000–46999:Category:Acridine dyes
Quinoline47000–47999:Category:Quinoline dyes
Methine48000–48999
Thiazole49000–49399:Category:Thiazole dyes
Indamine49400–49699
Indophenol49700–49999:Category:Indophenol dyes
Azine50000–50999:Category:Azin dyes
Oxazine51000–51999:Category:Oxazine dyes
Thiazine52000–52999:Category:Thiazine dyes
Sulfur53000–54999
Lactone55000–55999
Aminoketone/Hydroxyketone56000–56999
Anthraquinone58000–72999:Category:Anthraquinone dyes
Indigoid73000–73899
73900-73999
Phthalocyanine Dyes and Pigments74000–74999:Category:Phthalocyanines
Natural Organic Colouring Matters75000–75999:Category:Natural dyes
Oxidation bases76000–76999
Inorganic pigments77000–77999:Category:Inorganic pigments

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
  • 1st Supplement
  • 2nd Volume 1
  • 2nd Volumes 2 & 3
  • 2nd Volume 4
  • 2nd Supplement
  • 3rd
  • 3rd 1975
  • 3rd 1982
  • 3rd 1987
  • 3rd 1992
  • Pigments and Solvent Dyes ''edition ''
  • 4th 2000 - online