Color Tolerance en

A guide to
Understanding
Color
Tolerancing
Table
of
Contents
Interpreting Color Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Limitation of the Human Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Color Tolerancing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CIELAB Color Tolerancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CIELCH Color Tolerancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CMC Color Tolerancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 & 6
Using Color Tolerancing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Color Control Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
X-Rite Color Measurement Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Interpreting color
from
different
perspectives
Since the introduction of color
measurement instrumentation, there has
been a international goal to describe
color differences with numerical value.
This guide briefly explains the most
common color tolerancing methods
used today. Each of these methods is
internationally recognized and has its
own numerical color order system
supported by a specific glossary of
color terminology.
Each person accepts or rejects color

matches based on their own color
perception skills. In any industry this
can lead to confusion and frustration The X-Rite SP68 Sphere Spectrophotometer
and QA-Master
between customers, suppliers, vendors,
production, and management. To aid in
color decisions, color acceptability limits
can be determined.
Acceptability limits are numerical values

at which the perceived color differences
are no longer acceptable.
These numerical values are used as

guidelines or tolerance limits to aid in
controlling color in the process, to
ensure color consistency within a
production run, and to minimize
lot to lot variability.
[ 1 ] Are these acceptable color matches?

Why you can’t
always count
on your eyes
The human eye has some inherent limitations when
distinguishing color differences. In addition to
color memory loss, eye fatigue, color blindness,
and viewing conditions the eye does not detect
differences in hue (red, yellow, green, blue, etc.),
chroma (saturation), or lightness/darkness equally.
In fact, the average observer will see hue differences first,
chroma or saturation differences second, and
lightness/darkness differences last.
As a result, the tolerance that we have for an acceptable

color match is bounded by a three dimensional boundary with varying
limits for lightness/darkness, hue and chroma.
Methods
that improve
color L* a*b*
interpretation
Since the development of color measurement instruments there has
been an evolution of mathematical formulae attempting to create
tolerancing methods that best correlate to the eye’s sensitivity.
The first internationally accepted method, developed by the

Commission International de l’Eclairage (CIE), was L*a*b* color
tolerancing. (Also known as CIELAB).
L* C* H*
Some years later the CIE adopted revisions to the L*a*b* calculations
which led to L*C*H* color tolerancing. (Also know as CIELCH).
The newest of the accepted tolerancing methods, developed by the

Colour Measurement Committee of the Society of Dyes & Colourists in
Great Britain, is known as CMC tolerancing.
CMC
The following pages describe these three color tolerancing procedures.
[ 2 ]
Color Tolerancing
CIELAB
The CIELAB calculations were one of the first attempts to
develop a uniform color space. One unit of color
difference for a green color was similar to one unit of color
difference for a red and blue and so on.
L*a*b* values are calculated from the tristimulus values

(X,Y,Z) which are the backbone of all color mathematical
models. The location of a color, in the CIELAB color space,
is defined by a three dimensional cartesian (rectangular)
coordinate system.
The Lightness value (L*) indicates how light or dark the color
is. The a* value indicates the position on the red-green axis,
b* is the position on the yellow-blue axis. Once the L*a*b*
position of a standard color is determined a rectangular
tolerance “box” can be drawn around the standard.
Visual acceptability is more in the shape of an ellipse.

Therefore, there are some places in L*a*b* color space
where setting a rectangular tolerance box around your
color standard may cause problems.
A rectangular
tolerance
around the
ellipse can give
good numbers
for unacceptable color. If the tolerance rectangle is made
small enough to fit within visual acceptability it would be
possible to get bad numbers for acceptable color.
[ 3 ]
Color Tolerancing
CIELCH
L*C*H* color difference calculations
are derived from the L*a*b* values.
The mathematics convert the
rectangular coordinate system to a
cylindrical polar coordinate system.
The “L*” value is the same as in L*a*b*

color space and represents the lightness
plane on which the color resides.
The “C*” value is calculated vector distance
from the center of color space to the
measured color (P1).
Larger C* values indicate higher chroma or saturation.

Chroma is sometimes referred to as “cleanness” or
“dirtiness”. ∆H* is the calculated hue difference
between two colors.
Using the L*C*H* polar coordinate

system to set up tolerancing allows a
tolerance “box” to be
rotated in orientation to
the hue angle. This
more closely matches
human perception of
color which reduces
the chance of
disagreement between human observer and
instrumental readings or values.
[ 4 ]
Color Tolerancing
CMC
CMC is not new color space but rather a tolerancing system, CMC tolerancing is a modification of
CIELAB which provided better agreement between visual assessment and instrumentally measured
color difference.
As explained previously, visual color

perception is elliptical. The CMC
calculation mathematically
defines an ellipsoid around
the standard color with
semi-axis corresponding
to hue, chroma, and
lightness. The ellipsoid
represents the volume
of acceptance and
automatically varies
in size depending on
position of the color
in color space,
Figure A shows the
variation of the
ellipse sizes
throughout L*a*b*
color space. The
ellipses in the orange
area of color space are
longer and narrower than
the broad and rounder ones
in the green area. The size and
shape of the ellipses also change FIGURE A
as the color increases
in chroma.
[ 5 ]
Color Tolerancing
CMC
The CMC equation also allows the user to vary the overall size of the ellipse to better match what is
considered acceptable. The eye generally has greater acceptance for shifts in the lightness (l)
dimension than in the chromaticity (c) (hue and chroma) dimension.
This tolerance ratio (l:c) is considered to be 2:1.
The CMC equation allows for the ratio between
lightness and chromaticity (l:c) to be adjusted to
better match acceptability. The textile industry has
adopted a ratio of 2:1 while the plastics industry is
recommending 1.37:1.
Figure B shows the CMC calculated ellipsoid with a l:c

ratio of 2:1 as it would appear around a color standard.
The lightness (l) attribute is weighted twice as heavily as
the hue and chroma (c) attribute. The dotted line shows
the effect of changing the l:c ratio to 1.4:1.
In commercial situations, the amount of color difference

that is considered acceptable is accounted for by FIGURE B
applying a single commercial factor (cf) to all
dimensions of the ellipsoid. By varying the commercial factor – cf ( ∆E cmc) the ellipsoid can be
made as large or small as necessary to match visual acceptability.
Though no color tolerancing system is perfect the CMC equation best represents color differences as
we see them, and is becoming a recognized standard in many industries.
Smaller hue and chromaticity

Cross sections tolerances as lightness
of the ellipsoid increases or decreases
Chroma
Chroma
Standard
Color
cf = 0.5 cf = 1
[ 6 ]
Color Tolerancing
CMC
Using L*a*b*
QA-Master™
Color
Tolerances
The ability to set up a color tolerance
around a color standard allows for:
1. Rapid determination of color

acceptability.
2. Analysis of process color data over

L*C*H*
time, looking for trends and QA-Master™
potential problems.
3. Reporting to customers quality

information that will build their
confidence in product quality.
Color
Control CMC
QA-Master™
Software
Shown at the right are color
tolerancing display screens from
QA-Master™ , a software program
designed for use with X-Rite color
measurement instruments.
Trend
[ 7 ] QA-Master™
X-Rite
Color
Measurement
Instruments
Whatever your color measurement needs, X-Rite has
designed a wide range of instruments to satisfy
all requirements
Clockwise from upper right corner:
SP 68 Sphere Spectrophotometer
Plastic, Paint,
Textiles - any surface
938 0/45 SpectroDensitometer

Graphic Arts
968 0/45 Spectrophotometer

General Purpose QC
918 0/45 Colorimeter
948 0/45 SpectroColorimeter
CDM 0/45 Color Difference Meter

Low Cost Colorimeter
MA58 Multi-Angle
Spectrophotometer
Metallic Paints
[ 8 ]
3100 44th Street, S.W. • Grandville, Michigan 49418 U.S.A. © X-Rite, Incorporated 1997
X-Rite ® is a registered trademark, and QA-Master™ is a trademark for X-Rite Incorporated.
Tel: 616-534-7663 • Fax 616-534-8960 L10-024

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What are some limitations of the human eye in perceiving color differences?

What are some limitations of the human eye in perceiving color differences?

What are the three main color tolerancing methods discussed in the document?

What are the three main color tolerancing methods discussed in the document?

A guide to

Limitation of the Human Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Color Tolerancing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

CIELAB Color Tolerancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

CIELCH Color Tolerancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

CMC Color Tolerancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 & 6

Using Color Tolerancing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Color Control Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

X-Rite Color Measurement Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Each person accepts or rejects color

Acceptability limits are numerical values

These numerical values are used as

[ 1 ] Are these acceptable color matches?

As a result, the tolerance that we have for an acceptable

The first internationally accepted method, developed by the

The newest of the accepted tolerancing methods, developed by the

L*a*b* values are calculated from the tristimulus values

Visual acceptability is more in the shape of an ellipse.

The “L*” value is the same as in L*a*b*

Larger C* values indicate higher chroma or saturation.

Using the L*C*H* polar coordinate

As explained previously, visual color

Figure B shows the CMC calculated ellipsoid with a l:c

In commercial situations, the amount of color difference

Smaller hue and chromaticity

1. Rapid determination of color

2. Analysis of process color data over

3. Reporting to customers quality

Clockwise from upper right corner:

938 0/45 SpectroDensitometer

968 0/45 Spectrophotometer

918 0/45 Colorimeter

948 0/45 SpectroColorimeter

CDM 0/45 Color Difference Meter

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Lab* values are calculated from the tristimulus values

The “L” value is the same as in Lab

Using the LCH* polar coordinate