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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.
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.
Color quality revolves around two optical properties:
When we speak of consistent color quality, we mean that:
Example: a product in RAL 5012 must both approximate the reference color and remain consistent across all production batches.
Color differences can be determined visually or instrumentally.
This always occurs:
Color meters convert color into measurement values:
A spectrophotometer provides the most reliable information about color and color differences.
Four factors are essential for proper assessment:
Too large a color difference almost always leads to a lower perceived quality — consciously and unconsciously.
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.
In the courses at the Dutch Color School, you will learn:
👉 Visit for training and courses: https://kleurenschool.nl
Questions about color quality, color measurement, or tolerances? Contact the specialists at the Netherlands Color Institute: https://snki.nl/en/contact
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