What is Pantone TCX?
Pantone TCX is the Pantone system for textiles: colours defined on dyed cotton swatches rather than printed paper, so they represent what a fabric can actually be dyed to. It is what dye houses match to and what a lab dip is judged against. Pantone C (coated) and U (uncoated) are paper standards and can shift on fabric.
Why it matters
A brand that specifies a paper Pantone gets a fabric that is close; one that specifies TCX gets a fabric that matches. If you only have a C or U reference, we convert it and confirm on the lab dip.
On our floor
Every custom colour is matched to a TCX reference with a lab dip; every colourway in a tech pack is written as TCX.
Common questions
- What is the difference between TCX and TPX?
- TPX is the older paper-based textile guide; TCX is cotton swatches and the current standard.
- Can I give you a hex code?
- We will convert it to the nearest TCX and confirm on a lab dip, but screen colours are unreliable for dyeing.
- Do you match thread to TCX?
- Thread has its own shade ranges; we match as closely as the range allows and show it on the stitch-out.
- What if my colour has no TCX match?
- The lab dip shows the closest achievable shade; most brand colours are within one step.
Related terms
lab dip
A lab dip is a small piece of the actual fabric dyed to your Pantone reference before any bulk dyeing, sent for approval. It is how a…
colourway
A colourway is one complete colour combination of a style: the body colour, the rib, the thread, the print colours and the label, taken…
garment dyeing
Garment dyeing sews the garment first, in undyed fabric, and dyes the finished piece afterwards in a batch. It produces the soft, washed,…
colour separation
Colour separation splits your artwork into one layer per ink colour — each layer becomes its own screen and its own pass on the press. A…
Where this applies
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