Uc 8 , .Department of Commerce Na Canal Bureau of Standards Circular UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE • Sinclair Weeks, Secretary NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS • A. V. Astin, Director The ISCC-NBS Method of Designating Colors and a Dictionary of Color Names National Bureau of Standards Circular 553 Issued November 1, 1955 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. Price 32 7 1 National Bureau of Standards NOV 1 1955 8 (0*118 QC 00 U555 Cop. 1 Preface I^Ever since the language of man began to develop, words or expressions have been used first to indicate and then to describe colors. Some of these have per- sisted throughout the centuries and are those which refer to the simple colors or ranges such as red or yellow. As the language developed, more and more color names were invented to describe the colors used by art and industry and in late years in the rapidly expanding field of sales promotion. Some of these refer to the pigment or dye used, as Ochre Red or Cochineal, or a geographical location of its source such as Naples Yellow or Byzantium. Later when it became clear that most colors are bought by or for women, many color names indicative of the beauties and wiles of the fan- sex were introduced, as French Nude, Heart’s Desire, Intimate Mood, or Vamp. Fanciful color names came into vogue such as Dream Fluff, Happy Day, Pearly Gates, and Wafted Feather. Do not suppose that these names are without economic importance for a dark reddish gray hat for Milady might be a best seller ; if advertised as Mauve Wine whereas it probably would not if the color were called Paris Mud. Some color names, such as Blue Turquoise or Golden Poppy, are at the same time self-explanatory and also suited to the promotion of the sales of fabrics. Other color names are not what they seem, for how would one know that African Green is in reality a blue or that blue Fox will turn out to be a reddish gray? Liter- ature is indeed richer because of such color names as Cold Morn, Folly, Kitten’s- Ear, Languid Lavender, Risigal, Teen Age Pink, and Zedoary Wash, and their precise meanings deserve to be systematically listed. The purpose of this dictionary is to assist the scientist, businessman, and lay- man to understand the different color vocabularies used in the many fields of art, science, and industry. Some of these vocabularies are very similar, in fact they bor- row from one another, while others are nearly or completely unintelligible to workers- in another field. The dictionary will serve not only as a record of the meanings of the 7,500 individual color names listed but it will also enable anyone to translate from one color vocabulary to another. As an example, what is the meaning of Griseo- Viridis? This dictionary shows that Griseo-Viridis (biology) = Serpentine (fashion) = Mint Green (mass market), or in ordinary language, a light green. The terms by which this dictionary defines color names are those of a refinement of the method of designating colors outlined by the Inter-Society Color Council and developed at the National Bureau of Standards. The Inter-Society Color Council (ISCC) consists of delegates from 20 societies of national scope interested in color, and of individual members. The present member bodies of the ISCC are: American Association of Textile Chemists National Association of Printing Ink Makers and Colorists Optical Society of America American Ceramic Society Packaging Institute American Institute of Architects Society of Industrial Designers American Institute of Decorators Society of Motion Picture and Television American Oil Chemists’ Society Engineers American Psychological Association Tanners’ Council of America American Society for Testing Materials Technical Association for the Graphic Arts Federation of Paint and Varnish Produc- - Technical Association of the Pulp and tion Clubs Paper Industry Gravure Technical Association, Inc. Textile Color Card Association of the Illuminating Engineering Society United States, Inc. Industrial Designer’s Institute ns: The ISCC-NBS method of designating colors was published in the Journal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards 23, 355 (1939) RP1239. The Inter- Society Color Council approved the refinement of this method and encouraged the Bureau to compile the dictionary; most of the data upon which the translation of the individual color names into ISCC-NBS equivalents is based were supplied by its individual members who also helped to check the voluminous tables. The particular contributions of these and other individuals are acknowledged at ap- propriate places in the text. The Bureau is glad indeed of this opportunity to point out the cooperative nature of this project. A. Y. Astin, Director. VI Contents Page Page Preface ni 6. Color designations from the Munsell Book of Color for 1. History -- 1 divers types of specimens— Continued 2. Scope 1 6.4. Microscopic specimens 9 3. Applications 2 6.4.1. Mounting 9 4. Logic of designations 2 6.4.2. Lighting 9 4.1. The color solid 2 6.4.3. Determination of Munsell notation 6 4.2. Basic plan of forming the designations 3 6.4.4. The color designation 10 4.3. Divisions of the hue circle 3 7. Color designations from chromatieity coordinates and 4.4. Some unavoidable disadvantages 4 daylight reflectance 10 5. Definition of the color ranges 4 8. Description of the Dictionary of Color Names 10 the Book of Color for 6. Color designations from Munsell 9. Listing by source of color name and by ISCC-NBS diverse types of specimens 5 designation 10 6.1. Dry opaque powders (grain size less than 1 mm) 5 9.1. American Association of Textile Chemists and Preparation of sample 5 6.1.1. Colorists and the Society of Dyers and viewing conditions 6.1.2. Lighting and 5 Colourists 11 6.1.3. Determination of a Munsell notation 9.2. Biology 11 or renotation 6 9.3. Federal Specification TT-C-595 11 6.1.4. The color designation 6 9.4. Horticultural Colour Chart 11 6.1.5. An example 6 9.5. Maerz and Paul Dictionary of Color 11 6.2. Opaque solids 7 9.6. Molded Urea Plastics and Polystyrene Plastics. 11 6.2.1. Comparison with Munsell color stand- 9.7. Plochere Color System 12 ards 7 9.8. Ridgway Color Standards and Nomenclature.. 12 6.2.2. Lighting and viewing conditions 7 9.9. Rock-Color Chart 12 6.2.3. Nonmetallic samples with matte sur- 9.10. Postage-stamp color names 12 faces 7 9.11. USDA Soil Color Charts 12 6.2.4. Glossy surfaces having no regular de- 9.12. Descriptive Color Names Dictionary 12 tailed structure 7 9.13. Textile Color Card Association of the United 6.2.5. Glossy surfaces made up of cylindrical States 13 elements 7 10. Description of the alphabetical list of color names. _ 13 6.2.6. Metallic surfaces 8 11. Summary 13 6.3. Liquids and nonpowdered solids 8 12. References 13 6.3.1. Opaque solids and licjuids 8 6.3.2. Clear liquids 8 13. Color name charts 15 6.3.3. Clear solids (crystals, glasses, resins) - 8 14. Synonymous and near-synonymous color names with 6.3.4. Cloudy solids or liquids.. 8 their sample identifications 35 6.3.5. Fluorescent solids or liquids 9 15. Dictionary of color names 83 V The ISCC-NBS Method of Designating Colors and A Dictionary of Color Names Kenneth L. Kelly and Deane B. Judd In 1939 there was published a Method of Designating Colors as a solution of the problem proposed by the first chairman of the Inter-Society Color Council, E. N. Gathercoal, who said: “A means of designating colors in the United States Pharmacopoeia, in the National Formulary, and in general pharmaceutical literature is desired; such designation to be sufficiently standardized as to be acceptable and usable by science, sufficiently broad to be appreciated and used by science, art and industry, and sufficiently commonplace to be under- stood, at least in a general way, by the whole public.” This method was developed with the assistance of the American Pharmaceutical Association following plans outlined in 1933 by the Inter-Society Color Council. As a result of suggestions of the member bodies and individual members of the ISCC, a revision of the proposed system was made and approved by the Council in June 1949 and recommended for use in general color description. The revised ISCC-NBS color designations are defined in Munsell terms by 31 name charts, one for each of 31 ranges of Munsell hue. The ISCC-NBS equivalents of 7,500 color names previously defined by reference to 11 different sets of material standards have been de- termined' and listed both alphabetically and by ISCC-NBS color designation to form a dictionary of color names. 1. History making the present revision. An ISCC committee consisting of Beck, Clark, Foss, Godlove, Granville, In 1932 the first chairman of the Inter-Society Judd (Chairman), Kelly, Nickerson, Reimann, Rorke, Color Council (ISCC), E. N. Gathercoal, proposed and Stearns was formed in 1947 to study these that the Council develop “a means of designating suggestions and make recommendations as to name colors in the United States Pharmacopoeia, in the and boundary changes. The changes which are National Formulary, and in general literature . embodied in this revision have been approved by such designation to be sufficiently standardized as to letter ballot [21] for use wherever applicable by all of be acceptable and usable by science, sufficiently the 19 Member Bodies and the Individual Member broad to be appreciated and used by science, art and Group of the ISCC.