Textile color formulation methods: A literature review

• Published in: Color research and application 2025-01, Vol.50 (1), p.72-93
• Main Authors: Chaouch, Sabrine, Moussa, Ali, Ladhari, Neji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Artificial intelligence; artificial intelligence techniques; color formulation; Color matching; colorimetric methods; dye mixtures; Dyes; Literature reviews; Mixtures; precolored fiber blends; spectrophotometric methods; Spectrophotometry; textiles
• ISSN: 0361-2317; 1520-6378
• DOI: 10.1002/col.22953

Color has become an essential element in our communication and our judgment on products. In textile, the formulation of any color is an essential process to ensure color continuity from the master standard to all subsequent production batches. Indeed, the objective is to normalize its reproduction all along the color reproduction procedure. In the literature, researches concerning textile color formulation are important, so this review focuses on these different techniques and methods of color matching for dye mixtures and precolored fiber blends. This step involves determining the dyes or fibers to use (alone or in mixtures) and their appropriate proportions to reproduce the wanted colors. The main techniques used for dye mixtures are based on colorimetric, spectrophotometric, and artificial intelligence techniques. While for precolored fiber mixtures the used techniques are dived into theoretical and experimental models. In addition to the review of these different techniques, a quantitative analysis was carried out. Principal color formulation techniques presented in this review.