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Color & Matching

What is Pantone TCX?

Also known as: Textile Cotton eXtended

Pantone Textile Cotton eXtended — the standard color reference library for textile design and production. Each TCX code identifies a specific color reproducible on cotton substrate via standardized dye recipes.

In detail

Pantone TCX is the textile industry's lingua franca for color specification. Unlike Pantone PMS (the ink reference for paper printing) or Pantone TPG (paper-based proofing), TCX defines colors as they appear on cotton fabric — the substrate matters because the same dye produces different visible colors on different fibers. The TCX library contains 2,625+ color codes as of 2026. Each code is reproducible by a standardized dye recipe that print partners worldwide follow. Digital workflows match design colors to the nearest TCX code using the CIEDE2000 Delta E formula: a Delta E under 2.0 is considered a commercial-grade match. TCX is essential for production handoff because it gives print partners an unambiguous specification — 'TCX 18-1664' produces the same color in every facility, regardless of monitor calibration or design software.

Example

A designer matches a coral floral motif to TCX 16-1546 (Living Coral). The print partner mixes their dye to the TCX 16-1546 recipe; the printed fabric matches the design within Delta E 1.8 — well within commercial tolerance.

Related terms

Pantone TPG
Paper-based proofing standard used for color review of textile designs without printing on actual fabric. Faster and cheaper than fabric strike-offs but less accurate.
RAL Classic
European industrial color standard maintained by the German RAL gGmbH. Used for industrial textile printing, signage, and packaging where Pantone is less common.
CIEDE2000
A color difference formula that calculates the perceptual distance between two colors in CIE-LAB color space. The textile industry standard for evaluating whether a color match is acceptable for production.
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.
CIE-LAB
A color space designed to match human visual perception, where Euclidean distance approximates perceived color difference. The standard workspace for professional color matching in textiles.

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