SCOTDIC — Standard Color of Textile
What Is SCOTDIC?
SCOTDIC stands for "Standard Color of Textile — Dictionnaire Internationale de la Couleur" (International Color Dictionary). It is a physical color reference system specifically designed for the textile industry, providing dyed cotton fabric samples organized according to the Munsell color model.
Originally developed as a French initiative (hence "DIC" for Dictionnaire Internationale de la Couleur), SCOTDIC has become an international standard used by textile mills, dye houses, and quality control laboratories worldwide to communicate and verify color specifications on cotton substrates.
How SCOTDIC Works
SCOTDIC colors are organized using the three-dimensional Munsell framework:
- Hue — The basic color family (red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and intermediates)
- Value — Lightness or darkness on a scale from 1 (very dark) to 9 (very light)
- Chroma — Color saturation or intensity
Each SCOTDIC color is physically dyed onto cotton fabric, making it a true representation of how a color appears when reproduced in textile form. This is critical because dyes on fabric behave differently from inks on paper or paint on walls.
SCOTDIC and the Textile Industry
SCOTDIC serves several important functions in the global textile supply chain:
- Color communication — Provides a shared physical reference between designers, mills, and buyers across countries
- Quality control — Lab dips and production batches are compared against SCOTDIC standards
- Color forecasting — Trend agencies use SCOTDIC notation alongside Pantone TCX
- Archival reference — National flags and institutional colors are referenced against SCOTDIC standards
SCOTDIC and Paint
SCOTDIC is primarily a textile standard and is not directly used in the paint industry. However, because it maps to the Munsell system, any SCOTDIC color can be translated to Munsell notation and then matched by paint mixing services. This is useful when interior designers need wall paint to coordinate with specific textile samples.
Where to Access SCOTDIC
- Datacolor — SCOT Reference — Technical documentation and information about the SCOTDIC system from Datacolor, a leading color measurement company.
- MyPerfectColor.com — Can match paint to colors specified in Munsell notation (which maps directly to SCOTDIC coordinates).
Note: SCOTDIC physical swatch books are typically purchased through textile industry suppliers and are not widely available in consumer retail channels.
Key Characteristics
- Physical cotton fabric color standards (not printed or digital)
- Based on the Munsell three-dimensional color model
- International standard for textile color communication
- Used globally in cotton textile manufacturing and quality control
- Referenced by national standards bodies for official colors
- Managed and distributed through industry-specific channels
Best For
Textile manufacturing, cotton dye specification, quality control in fabric production, coordinating textile colors with interior finishes, and professional color communication in the global fashion supply chain.