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Fabric colour swatch cards laid out on the cutting table
34 stock shades, lab dipped

Pick the shade. We keep the standard.

Every colour below is dyed to a recorded physical standard we hold on file, so your third run matches your first. Browse the card here, then ask for the physical swatches before you sign anything off.

Lab dipped fabric swatches compared against a physical standard
How a colour is agreed

A lab dip, not a screenshot.

Colour is where most uniform contracts go wrong, and it almost always goes wrong the same way: everyone agreed on an image, nobody agreed on a physical sample.

  1. You choose a direction

    From this card, a Pantone reference, or a garment you already have. Any of the three works as a starting point.

  2. We dye a lab dip

    Small pieces of your actual fabric, dyed in two or three variations around the target. Colour behaves differently on twill than on knit, so it is dyed on the cloth you are ordering.

  3. You approve one physically

    The swatches are couriered to you. You pick one, sign it, and send it back. That signed piece becomes the standard.

  4. It stays on file

    Every future run is matched against that physical piece under controlled light, not against a screen or a memory. This is why a reorder in year three still matches.

Your screen is not colour accurate

No monitor or phone is. Brightness, colour profile and ambient light all shift what you are looking at, and fabric texture changes it again. Treat every swatch on this page as an indication of the family, never as the final decision.

The standard card

Stock shades, ready to dye.

These are on file and can go into production without a new lab dip cycle, which saves about a week. Anything outside them is matched to your reference.

Outside the card

Three ways to give us a colour.

If your brand shade is not on the card, any one of these is enough to start. The physical sample is always the best of the three.

BEST

A physical sample

A garment, a swatch, a printed brand guide, even a painted panel. Post it to us and we match the dye to the object under controlled light. This gets closest, every time.

GOOD

A Pantone reference

TCX for textile is ideal, TPG or C works too. Tell us which system it is, because the same number in two systems is two different colours and that mistake is common.

WORKABLE

A hex or CMYK value

Screen and print values were never made for dye, so we treat them as a direction rather than a target. We will send lab dips around it and let you pick the closest.

How colour behaves

Not every shade survives every laundry cycle.

Colour fastness is tested before bulk on every programme. These are the general ratings by family, on a scale where 5 is best.

Colour family Wash Light Rubbing Notes
Navy and black 4 to 54 to 54 Most stable family. Can crock onto light fabrics when new, so wash separately once.
Greys and neutrals 4 to 54 to 54 to 5 Very stable. Pale greys show soiling before they show fading.
Blues and teals 444 Reliable. Bright royal shades soften slightly over the first few washes then hold.
Greens 444 Surgical green is built for repeated high temperature laundry.
Reds and burgundy 3 to 43 to 43 to 4 The family to watch. Deep reds hold better than bright reds, and both need a controlled dye and a separate first wash.
Earth tones 444 Forgiving in service. Hides site marks better than any other family.
Hi-vis and brights 43 to 44 Fluorescents fade with UV exposure by design. Certified hi-vis has a stated service life, plan replacements around it.
Colour questions

What buyers ask before approving a shade.

Can you match our exact brand colour?
In almost every case, yes. Send a Pantone TCX reference or a physical sample and we dye lab dips around it on your actual fabric. Some very bright fluorescents cannot be reached on natural fibres, and we will tell you that before you order rather than after.
Why does the same colour look different on two fabrics?
Because texture changes how light reflects. The same dye on a smooth poly viscose and a matte cotton drill reads as two shades to the eye even though the recipe is identical. That is why lab dips are always done on the cloth you are actually ordering.
How long does a lab dip take?
Five to seven days including courier, for two or three options around your target. Shades already on our card skip this entirely, which is the main reason to choose from the card when the brief allows it.
Will a reorder in two years still match?
Yes. Your approved swatch is kept as a physical standard here and every run is compared against it under controlled light. We do not match to a screen value or to the last delivery, because both drift.
Can we get a physical colour card?
Yes, and you should before signing anything. We courier the full card in your chosen fabric quality free of charge on any live enquiry. It is the only way to judge a shade properly.
Do you charge for a colour outside the card?
The lab dip itself is free on a live enquiry. A custom dyed colour carries a higher fabric minimum than a stock shade, usually around 300 metres, so it suits contract volumes rather than a first small order.