ASTM D1535-08e1
(Practice)Standard Practice for Specifying Color by the Munsell System
Standard Practice for Specifying Color by the Munsell System
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
This practice is used by artists, designers, scientists, engineers, and government regulators, to specify an existing or desired color. It is used in the natural sciences to record the colors of specimens, or identify specimens, such as human complexion, flowers, foliage, soils, and minerals. It is used to specify colors for commerce and for control of color-production processes, when instrumental color measurement is not economical. The Munsell system is widely used for color tolerancing, even when instrumentation is employed (see Practice D3134). It is common practice to have color chips made to illustrate an aim color and the just tolerable deviations from that color in hue, value, and chroma, such a set of chips being called a Color Tolerance Set. A color tolerance set exhibits the aim color and color tolerances so that everyone involved in the selection, production, and acceptance of the color can directly perceive the intent of the specification, before bidding to supply the color or starting production. A color tolerance set may be measured to establish instrumental tolerances. Without extensive experience, it may be impossible to visualize the meaning of numbers resulting from color measurement, but by this practice, the numbers can be translated to the Munsell color-order system, which is exemplified by colored chips for visual examination. This color-order system is the basis of the ISCC-NBS Method of Designating Colors and a Dictionary of Color Names, as well as the Universal Color Language, which associates color names, in the English language, with Munsell notations (3).
SCOPE
1.1 This practice provides a means of specifying the colors of objects in terms of the Munsell color order system, a system based on the color-perception attributes hue, lightness, and chroma. The practice is limited to opaque objects, such as painted surfaces viewed in daylight by an observer having normal color vision. This practice provides a simple visual method as an alternative to the more precise and more complex method based on spectrophotometry and the CIE system (see Practices E308 and E1164). Provision is made for conversion of CIE data to Munsell notation.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
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Designation: D1535 – 08
Standard Practice for
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Specifying Color by the Munsell System
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D1535; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.
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´ NOTE—Footnote 3 was corrected editorially in August 2010.
1. Scope 3.2.1 Munsell notation, n—(1) the Munsell hue, value, and
chroma assigned to the color of a specimen by visually
1.1 This practice provides a means of specifying the colors
comparing the specimen to the chips in the Munsell Book of
of objects in terms of the Munsell color order system, a system
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Color; (2) a notation in the Munsell color system, derived
based on the color-perception attributes hue, lightness, and
from luminous reflectance factor Y and chromaticity coordi-
chroma. The practice is limited to opaque objects, such as
nates x and y, in the CIE system for standard illuminant C,by
painted surfaces viewed in daylight by an observer having
the use of scales defined by the Optical Society of America
normal color vision. This practice provides a simple visual
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Subcommittee on the Spacing of the Munsell Colors (1).
methodasanalternativetothemorepreciseandmorecomplex
3.2.1.1 Discussion—The Munsell notation is written as a
method based on spectrophotometry and the CIE system (see
combination of letters and numbers by which the color of an
Practices E308 and E1164). Provision is made for conversion
opaque object may be specified with respect to Munsell hue H,
of CIE data to Munsell notation.
Munsell value V, and Munsell chroma C, written in the form H
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the
V/C.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
3.2.2 hue, n—the attribute of color perception by means of
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
which a color is judged to be red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
purple, or intermediate between adjacent pairs of these, con-
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
sidered in a closed ring (red and purple being an adjacent pair).
2. Referenced Documents 3.2.3 Munsell hue, n—an attribute of color used in the
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Munsell color system to indicate the hue of a specimen viewed
2.1 ASTM Standards:
in daylight.
D1729 Practice for Visual Appraisal of Colors and Color
3.2.3.1 Discussion—Two systems of designating Munsell
Differences of Diffusely-Illuminated Opaque Materials
hue are shown in Fig. 1, a letter-number system and an
D3134 PracticeforEstablishingColorandGlossTolerances
all-number system. The two systems are equivalent, but the
E284 Terminology of Appearance
letter-number system is preferred, because it requires no prior
E308 Practice for Computing the Colors of Objects by
knowledge or memory of the correspondence of numbers to
Using the CIE System
hues. The hue circle is graduated in steps judged visually to be
E1164 Practice for Obtaining Spectrometric Data for
approximately equal.
Object-Color Evaluation
3.2.4 lightness, n—the attribute of color perception by
3. Terminology
which a non-self-luminous body is judged to reflect more or
less light.
3.1 Terms and definitions in Terminology E284 are appli-
3.2.5 Munsell value, n—an attribute of color used in the
cable to this practice.
Munsell color system to indicate the lightness of a specimen
3.2 Definitions:
viewed in daylight, on a scale extending from 0 for ideal black
to 10 for ideal white, in steps that are visually approximately
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This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E12 on Color and
equal in magnitude.
Appearance and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E12.07 on Color Order
3.2.5.1 Discussion—Achromatic or neutral colors are des-
Systems.
ignated N followed by the value notation, thus: N 5.61/.
Current edition approved Jan. 1, 2008. Published January 2008. Originally
approved in 1958. Last previous edition approved in 2007 as D1535 – 07. DOI:
10.1520/D1535-08E01.
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For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or Available from Munsell, 4300 44th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512,
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM www.munsell.com.
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Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to a list of references at the end of
the ASTM website. this standard.
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