The SCOTDIC Textile Color System takes Munsell Color Theory and applies it to fabric. Munsell, developed in the beginning of this century, is a visual system for identifying colors. It is defined according to three units, which are Hue, Value and Chroma. The following is an explanation of these three units.
The Hues of the SCOTDIC Colour Standard System are presented in a closed oval similar to the flow of the spectrum of the rainbow. The system is based on five main hues that are Red (R), Yellow (Y), Green (G), Blue (B) and Purple (P). Five sub-hues that are Yellow-Red (YR), Green-Yellow (GY), Blue-Green, Purple-Blue (PB) and Red-Purple (RP). These 10 base hues are then divided each into 10 more half hues creating a total of 100 hues. This represents a decimal system that can be further broken down into fractions and by that more hues can be inserted later into this logical system. SCOTDIC currently represents, depending on substrate, 54 hues. For each hue a swatch table exists as a matrix for the value and chroma of each color.
This unit represents a dark to light scale that extends from absolute black to absolute white, where the end points are not depicted. The SCOTDIC value scale is shown in 16 steps of 5% increments, starting at 15% in the dark range and ending at 90% in the light range. Since each step of value has the same contrast distance, each level of value will always reflect the same amount of light, independent of hue and chroma. The pure black and white scale including its gray range is called the neutral color scale. It is achromatic and it has no parts of hue and chroma and is related to chroma as the zero base.
This unit represents brightness or saturation of a color. The SCOTDIC table has for chroma 16 steps in which the contrast distance is always the same independent of hue and value. The maximum number of depicted steps of chroma, using the same contrast distance, is different for each hue, value and substrate.
Each hue defines a color family, the value describes the dark-light appearance and the chroma the intensity and saturation of a color. The light source for color comparison is daylight. For each hue there is a swatch table available of a 16 x 16 matrix for value and chroma. Every material has its own level of color absorption and its own level of color depiction for value and chroma. SCOTDIC textile standards are offered in the fabric types of cotton, polyester and wool.
SCOTDIC - The World Textile System © (Kensaikan International Limited)