Colour Index™ International (CI) 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 (both dyes and pigments) 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, disperse 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.

StructureRangeCategory
Nitroso10000–10299
Nitro10300–10999
Monoazo11000–19999Category:Azo dyes
Disazo20000–29999Category:Azo dyes
Trisazo30000–34999Category:Azo dyes
Polyazo35000–36999Category:Azo dyes
Azoic37000–39999Category:Azo dyes
Stilbene40000–40799
Carotenoid40800–40999
Diarylmethane41000–41999Category:Diarylmethane dyes
Triarylmethane42000–44999Category:Triarylmethane dyes
Xanthene45000–45999
Acridine46000–46999Category:Acridine dyes
Quinoline47000–47999Category:Quinoline dyes
Methine48000–48999
Thiazole49000–49399Category:Thiazole dyes
Indamine49400–49699
Indophenol49700–49999Category:Indophenol dyes
Azine50000–50999Category:Azin dyes
Oxazine51000–51999Category:Oxazine dyes
Thiazine52000–52999Category:Thiazine dyes
Sulfur53000–54999
Lactone55000–55999
Aminoketone/Hydroxyketone56000–56999
Anthraquinone58000–72999Category:Anthraquinone dyes
Indigoid73000–73899
73900-73999
Phthalocyanine Dyes and Pigments74000–74999Category:Phthalocyanines
Natural Organic Colouring Matters75000–75999Category:Natural dyes
Oxidation bases76000–76999
Inorganic pigments77000–77999Category: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 (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

See also

External links