All About Color Quality

What do we mean by color quality? And how do you determine if a color is 'good'? In color technology, it's all about nuance, purity, and hue — and the question of whether a color is consistent, stable, and reproducible. Below you can read how color quality is defined and assessed.

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What Is Color Quality?

By color quality, we mean the degree of purity or saturation of a color. This is also called quality contrast: the opposition between bright, highly saturated colors and muddied, 'diluted' colors.

The colors of a rainbow or prism — created by the refraction of white light — are the purest and have the highest radiance.

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Nuance and Hue

Color quality revolves around two optical properties:

• Nuance – the combination of lightness and saturation
• Hue – the direction in the color wheel (e.g., yellow, green, red)

When we speak of consistent color quality, we mean that:

1. A color matches the reference standard
2. The same color remains identical across different batches
3. The color remains stable over time (color fastness)

Example: a product in RAL 5012 must both approximate the reference color and remain consistent across all production batches.

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Color Differences

Color differences can be determined visually or instrumentally.

Visual Assessment

This always occurs:

• Under standardized lighting
• In a neutral environment
• By a trained assessor
• According to applicable standards (including ASTM)

Instrumental Measurement

Color meters convert color into measurement values:

• Colorimeter – measures at 3 points in the spectrum
• Spectrophotometer – measures every 5, 10, or 20 nm and is therefore much more accurate

A spectrophotometer provides the most reliable information about color and color differences.

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How Do You Determine Color Quality?

Four factors are essential for proper assessment:

1. Pigment knowledge – which pigments are used and how do they behave?
2. Color formulation – how is the recipe constructed?
3. Substrate / material – each substrate reacts differently to the same color
4. Accepted tolerance – what is acceptable within the market, product group, or industry?

Too large a color difference almost always leads to a lower perceived quality — consciously and unconsciously.

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Color Quality as Professional Responsibility

Knowledge of color, pigment technology, and tolerances is essential for anyone working professionally with color. SNKI supports color professionals with expertise, tools, and professional training.

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Want to Learn More About Color Quality, Color Measurement, and Color Tolerances?

In the courses at the Dutch Color School, you will learn:

• How to assess and measure color quality
• How to work with spectrophotometers and colorimeters
• How to determine and communicate tolerances
• How pigment technology and formulation affect color

👉 Visit for training and courses: https://kleurenschool.nl

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Questions about color quality, color measurement, or tolerances? Contact the specialists at the Netherlands Color Institute: https://kleurinstituut.nl/contact