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, Acid [Orange 7|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.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