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Color & Matching

What is Pantone TCX?

Also known as: Textile Cotton eXtended

Updated

Pantone's textile colour library on cotton fabric (Textile Cotton eXtended): the usual reference when specifying colour to a dye house or mill.

How is Pantone TCX used in textile production?

Pantone TCX swatches are dyed on cotton, so the reference behaves like the fabric that will be produced: the same dye looks different on different fibres, and a paper swatch cannot show that. That is why mills, dye houses and brand colour books specify fabric colour in TCX rather than in Pantone's paper libraries (TPG, and the retired TPX) or its graphic-design libraries (C and U). A TCX reference on its own is not a full specification: add the fabric (fibre, weight and finish), an acceptable colour difference such as ΔE under 2, and approve the mill's lab dip under D65 daylight. Pantone Connect and Pantone's physical guides are the authoritative sources for finding or confirming a reference.

What does a Pantone TCX reference look like on a spec sheet?

A tech pack lists each colour as its TCX reference with the fabric and tolerance next to it, for example 'body: TCX reference on 100% cotton poplin, ΔE under 2 under D65'. The mill dyes a lab dip, measures it against the TCX swatch, and the designer approves it in a light booth before bulk.

Related terms

Pantone TPG
Pantone's textile colour library printed on paper (Textile Paper Green), which replaced the older TPX: useful for design boards, not for approving dyed colour.
Lab Dip
A small fabric sample dyed by the mill to match a colour standard, sent to the buyer for approval before bulk dyeing.
Delta E
The numerical output of a color difference formula, expressing the perceptual distance between two colors. Lower is closer; values under 2.0 are considered commercial-grade matches.
Metamerism
When two colours match under one light but not under another. A fabric that matches the standard in daylight can look different under store or home lighting.

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