International Grey Scales
International Grey Scales, also known as IGS, are a series of standardized shades of grey used in the textile industry for color matching and quality control. The purpose of IGS is to provide a universal reference point for manufacturers, designers, and buyers to communicate and evaluate the color accuracy of textile products.
The International Grey Scales are standardized by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), which is an international authority on color and light measurement. The CIE has established several standard color scales, and the IGS is one of them. The IGS is a series of 10 shades of grey, ranging from pure white to black. Each shade has a specific reflectance value, which is a measure of how much light is reflected off the surface of the textile. The shades are designated by numbers, with 1 being the lightest and 10 being the darkest.
The IGS is typically used for evaluating the color fastness of textile products. Color fastness refers to the ability of a textile product to maintain its color under various conditions, such as washing, exposure to light, and rubbing. The IGS is used to compare the color of a textile product before and after exposure to these conditions. For example, if a fabric is exposed to light and begins to fade, the IGS can be used to measure the degree of fading. The color of the fabric can be compared to the IGS to determine how much the color has shifted towards white or black.
The IGS is also used for quality control in textile production. Manufacturers use the IGS to ensure that their products are consistent in color from batch to batch. By comparing the color of each batch to the IGS, manufacturers can make adjustments to the dyeing process to achieve the desired color. The IGS is also used by designers and buyers to communicate color specifications to manufacturers. By specifying a particular IGS shade, designers and buyers can ensure that the manufacturer produces the desired color.
The use of the IGS is not limited to textiles. It is also used in other industries where color accuracy is important, such as printing and photography. In these industries, the IGS is used to calibrate color measuring equipment and to evaluate the color accuracy of printed or photographic images.
In addition to the 10 standard shades, the IGS can also be expanded to include additional shades of grey. For example, some textile manufacturers use a 21-point grey scale, which includes additional shades between the standard IGS shades. This allows for a more precise evaluation of color accuracy.
Overall, the International Grey Scales are an important tool in the textile industry for ensuring color accuracy and quality control. They provide a universal reference point for communicating and evaluating the color of textile products, and they are widely used by manufacturers, designers, and buyers around the world.
International Grey Scales