BRITISH STANDARD BS EN ISO

3668:2001
BS 3900-D1:
1998
Incorporating
Amendment No. 1 to
BS 3900-D1:1998

Paints and varnishes — (renumbers the BS as

BS EN ISO
3668:2001)

Visual comparison of
the colour of paints

The European Standard EN ISO 3668:2001 has the status of a

British Standard

ICS 87.040

NO COPYING WITHOUT BSI PERMISSION EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW

BS EN ISO 3668:2001
This British Standard, having
been prepared under the
direction of the Sector Board for
Materials and Chemicals, was
published under the authority
of the Standards Board and
comes into effect on
15 October 1998
© BSI 1 October 2001
ISBN 0 580 30619 4
National foreword
This British Standard is the official English language version of
EN ISO 3668:2001. It is identical with ISO 3668:1998.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee
STI/10, Methods of test for paints, which has the responsibility to:
— aid enquirers to understand the text;
— present to the responsible international/European committee any
enquiries on the interpretation, or proposals for change, and keep the UK
interest informed;
— monitor related international and European developments and
promulgate them in the UK.
The main differences between BS 3900-D1:1978 and this Part of BS 3900 are
as follows:
a) the standard is technically updated;
b) a colour difference rating scheme is included.
A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on
request to its secretary.
Cross-references
The British Standards which implement international or European
publications referred to in this document may be found in the BSI Standards
Catalogue under the section entitled “International Standards Correspondence
Index”, or by using the “Find” facility of the BSI Standards Electronic
Catalogue.
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of
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Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.
Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, the EN ISO title
page, the EN ISO foreword page, the ISO title page, page ii, pages 1 to 8, an
inside back cover and a back cover.
The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the
document was last issued.
Amendments issued since publication
Amd. No. Date Comments
13287 01 October Implementation of the European Standard
2001
EUROPEAN STANDARD EN ISO 3668
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM May 2001

ICS 87.040

English version

Paints and varnishes — Visual comparison of the colour

of paints
(ISO 3668:1998)

Peintures et vernis — Comparaison visuelle de la Beschichtungsstoffe — Visueller Vergleich der Farbe

couleur des peintures von Beschichtungen (Farbabmusterung)
(ISO 3668:1998) (ISO 3668:1988)

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 7 March 2001.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal
Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard
the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and
bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained
on application to the Management Centre or to any CEN member
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French,
German). A version in any other language made by translation under the
responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

CEN
European Committee for Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation
Europäisches Komitee für Normung

Management Centre: Rue de Stassart, 36 B-1050 Brussels

© 2001 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CEN national
Members Ref. No. EN ISO 3668:2001 E
EN ISO 3668:2001

Foreword
The text of the International Standard from
Technical Committee ISO/TC 35, Paints and
varnishes, of the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) has been taken over as a
European Standard by Technical Committee
CEN/TC 139, Paints and varnishes, the Secretariat
of which is held by DIN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of
a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by
November 2001, and conflicting national standards
shall be withdrawn at the latest by November 2001.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal
Regulations, the national standards organizations
of the following countries are bound to implement
this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

© BSI 01 October 2001

EN ISO 3668:2001

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide

federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of
preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical
committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee.
International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with
ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical
standardization.
Draft International Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated
to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an International Standard requires
approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
International Standard ISO 3668 was prepared by Technical Committee
ISO/TC 35, Paints and varnishes, Subcommittee SC 9, General test methods for
paints and varnishes.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 3668:1976), which
has been technically revised.
Annex A and Annex B form an integral part of this International Standard.
Annex C is for information only.

Descriptors: Paints, varnishes, tests, daylight tests, artificial light tests, determination, colour, visual
inspection (testing), comparison analysis, standard colour.

ii © BSI 01 October 2001

 EN ISO 3668:2001

1 Scope
This International Standard is one of a series of standards dealing with the sampling and testing of paints,
varnishes and related products.
It specifies a method for the visual comparison of the colour of films of paints or related products against a
standard (either a reference standard or a freshly prepared standard) using either natural daylight or
artificial light sources in a standard booth.
It is not applicable to coatings containing special-effect pigments, e.g. metallics, without previous
agreement on all details of illuminating and viewing conditions.
2 Normative references
The following standards contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this International Standard. At the time of publication, the editions indicated were valid. All standards are
subject to revision, and parties to agreements based on this International Standard are encouraged to
investigate the possibility of applying the most recent editions of the standards indicated below. Members
of IEC and ISO maintain registers of currently valid International Standards.
ISO 1512:1991, Paints and varnishes — Sampling of products in liquid or paste form.
ISO 1513:1992, Paints and varnishes — Examination and preparation of samples for testing.
ISO 1514:1993, Paints and varnishes — Standard panels for testing.
ISO 2808:1997, Paints and varnishes — Determination of film thickness.
ISO 3270:1984, Paints and varnishes and their raw materials — Temperatures and humidities for
conditioning and testing.
ISO 7724-1:—, Paints and varnishes — Colorimetry — Part 1: Principles1).
ISO 7724-2:—, Paints and varnishes — Colorimetry — Part 2: Colour measurement2).
ISO 7724-3:—, Paints and varnishes — Colorimetry — Part 3: Calculation of colour differences
by CIELAB3).
CIE Publication No. 51:1981, A method for assessing the quality of daylight simulators for colorimetry.
CIE Publication No. 15.2:1986, Colorimetry.
3 Principle
The colours of the paint films to be compared are observed under specified illumination and viewing
conditions, either in natural daylight or in artificial light, using a colour-matching booth in the latter case.
For the expression of colour difference components (hue, chroma and lightness), a procedure is described,
i.e. description using a particular rating scheme. Assessment of metamerism is also taken into account.
4 Required supplementary information
For any particular application, the test method specified in this International Standard needs to be
completed by supplementary information. The items of supplementary information are given in Annex A.
5 Illumination for colour matching
5.1 General
For routine colour matching, either natural or artificial daylight may be used. The quality of natural
daylight is variable, and observers’ judgements are likely to be affected by nearby coloured objects. For
reference purposes therefore, closely controlled artificial illumination in a colour-matching booth shall be
used. The observer shall wear clothing of a neutral colour, and no strongly coloured surfaces, other than
the panels under test, shall be permitted in the field of view.

1) To be published. (Revision of ISO 7724-1:1984)

2) To be published. (Revision of ISO 7724-2:1984)
3) To be published. (Revision of ISO 7724-3:1984)

© BSI 01 October 2001 1

EN ISO 3668:2001

5.2 Natural daylight illumination

Diffuse daylight, preferably from a partially cloudy north sky in the northern hemisphere and a partially
cloudy south sky in the southern hemisphere, and not reflected from any strongly coloured object such as
a red brick wall or green tree, shall be used. Illumination shall be uniform over the area in which test
panels are displayed and at a level of at least 2 000 lx. Direct sunlight shall be avoided.
5.3 Artificial illumination by means of a colour-matching booth
The colour-matching booth shall be an enclosure from which external light is excluded and which is
illuminated by a light source giving a spectral power distribution falling on the test panel, approximating
to that of CIE standard illuminant D65 or CIE standard illuminant A.
Where a light source having a different spectral distribution is used, it shall be agreed by the interested
parties.
The quality of simulation of daylight shall be assessed by the method described in CIE Publication No. 51.
The spectral distribution of the illuminant shall be in category BC (CIELAB) or better.
The level of illumination at the colour-matching position shall be between 1 000 lx and 4 000 lx, a figure
towards the upper end of the range being desirable for dark colours.
The interior of the colour-matching booth for general use shall be painted a matt neutral grey (the amount
of a* and b* shall be less than 1,0) with a lightness L* of about 45 to 55. However, when mainly light colours
and near-white colours are to be compared, the interior of the booth may be painted so as to have a lightness
L* of about 65 or higher in order to give a lower brightness contrast with the colour to be examined; when
mainly dark colours are to be compared, the interior of the booth may be painted matt black with a
lightness L* of about 25.
NOTE L*, a* and b* refer to the CIELAB system (see ISO 7724-1).
To ensure an appropriate surrounding field for colour comparison, the table surface in the booth shall be
covered by a neutral grey panel, its luminance factor being chosen to be similar to that of the samples to be
compared.
A diffusing screen shall normally be used to avoid the reflection of an image of the lamp from the test panel.
The spectral distribution properties of the light source shall include the spectral transmission of the screen.
The manufacturer of the light source shall disclose the number of running hours during which the product
can be expected to conform to this International Standard.
6 Observer
Observers shall have normal colour vision and shall be selected carefully because a significant proportion
of people have defective colour vision. An lshihara test will reveal severe defects but, to confirm an
observer’s suitability, more sensitive tests, for example the Farnsworth 100 hue test or stricter
anomaloscope measurements, are desirable. If an observer wears glasses to correct his or her vision, these
shall have uniform spectral transmission throughout the visible spectrum. As colour vision changes
significantly with age, it is desirable that observers over 40 years of age are tested using a proper method
whereby the observer is requested to choose the best match from a metameric series of colours. For colour
comparison work, not only normal colour vision but also colour discrimination ability or experience is
important.
To avoid eye fatigue effects, pastel or complementary colours shall not be viewed immediately after strong
colours. When comparing bright, saturated colours, if a decision cannot be made rapidly, the observer shall
look away for some seconds at the neutral grey of the surrounding field before attempting a further
comparison.
The quality of visual judgements falls off severely if the observer works continuously. Rest periods of
several minutes during which no colour matching is attempted shall, therefore, be taken frequently.

2 © BSI 01 October 2001

 EN ISO 3668:2001

7 Test panels and reference standards

7.1 General
Both test panels and reference colour standards shall be flat and preferably about 150 mm × 100 mm in
size. Suitable materials for test panels are tinplate, hard aluminium, glazed cardboard, steel or glass,
complying with ISO 1514.
Panel size and viewing distance shall be chosen so that the panel subtends an angle at the eye of about 10°.
If larger panels are used, a viewing field corresponding to the 10° observer shall be formed using a grey
mask.
Typical viewing distances and sizes for the square openings in the mask are given in Table 1.
Table 1 — Viewing distances and opening sizes of masks
Viewing distance Opening size
cm cm × cm
30 5,4 × 5,4
50 8,7 × 8,7
70 12,3 ×12,3
90 15,8 ×15,8
7.2 Reference standards
Only colour standards of satisfactory colour permanence shall be used as reference standards. Wherever
possible, the reference standards shall be of the same size as the test panels and shall have closely similar
gloss and surface texture.
7.3 Preparation and coating
Prepare test panels as specified and, where appropriate, in accordance with ISO 1514. The panels shall be
coated by a closely specified or agreed method, because the method of application and film thickness may
affect the colour considerably.
If the test panel is to be compared against a standard paint, it shall be coated with the paint or system
under test and a similar panel coated with the standard paint or system. The method of application and
the applied film thickness shall be as closely as possible identical.
NOTE The film thickness applied should preferably be such as to ensure complete hiding of the substrate, in order to eliminate the
influence of the substrate. To check that this is the case, black and white charts may be used.

7.4 Drying
Dry (or stove) each coated test panel for the specified time and under the specified conditions and, unless
otherwise specified, condition in the standard atmosphere as specified in ISO 3270 for a minimum of 16 h
with free circulation of air and not exposed to direct sunlight.
7.5 Thickness of coating
Determine the thickness, in micrometres, of the dried coating by one of the procedures specified in
ISO 2808.
8 Procedure for colour comparison
8.1 General
8.1.1 For standardized colour comparison, it is necessary to have an observer with normal colour vision,
and reproducible illumination and viewing conditions. Most paints are required to match a standard in
daylight, but the spectral composition of daylight varies considerably. Hence it is preferred to use artificial
daylight for colour evaluation, as individual sources are more stable over a limited period than daylight
and therefore enable more reproducible colour comparisons to be made.

© BSI 01 October 2001 3

EN ISO 3668:2001

8.1.2 Unless otherwise agreed, this method of test makes use of natural daylight or of two artificial light
sources. Average daylight — natural or artificial — is used for routine comparisons. Artificial average
daylight illumination is represented by CIE standard illuminant D65. Incandescent illumination is
additionally used to check for metamerism. Incandescent illumination is represented by CIE standard
illuminant A.
In cases of dispute, the referee comparison shall always be made under artificial light.
8.1.3 The visual assessment of colour differences using the components hue, chroma and lightness should
preferably be performed in accordance with the rating scheme given in Annex B. By agreement between
the interested parties, a simplified rating scheme comprising less than six steps can be used. However, in
order to avoid confusion the meaning of the individual ratings given in Annex B shall not be changed.
8.2 Routine method
View the two panels, or the panel and the reference colour standard, either under natural daylight
(as specified in 5.2) or in artificial daylight in a colour-matching booth (5.3).
Place the panels side by side, touching and in the same plane, at a distance of about 500 mm from the eyes.
Compare the colour of the paint film prepared from the material under test with that of the reference colour
standard or of the film prepared from the standard paint. To improve accuracy of comparison, compare the
colours with the positions of the panels reversed from time to time.
When, exceptionally, films of widely different levels of gloss are to be compared, the method of viewing shall
be agreed between the interested parties. The panels may be viewed either in natural daylight or in a
colour-matching booth.
a) Viewing in natural daylight
View the panels at an angle which minimizes gloss differences, for example from a nearly normal direction,
so that the specular reflection does not reach the eye.
Observe colour difference components of hue, chroma and lightness with an indication of the order of
prominence of these components. For example, note that a specimen is moderately yellower, slightly darker
and very slightly less in chroma than the standard panel, or DH: 3ye, DL: – 2 and DC: – 1 using the
component difference rating scheme given in Annex B.
NOTE DH, DL and DC are not colorimetric values, but just values used for difference classification.
b) Viewing in a colour-matching booth
View the panels at an angle of 45° with illumination at an angle of 0° or vice versa. Observe total colour
difference, or colour difference components as described in 8.2a).
8.3 Referee method
In cases of dispute, comparisons shall be made in artificial daylight conforming to CIE standard illuminant
D65, unless an alternative light source has been agreed between the interested parties.
9 Assessment of metamerism
If the standard and test panels contain dissimilar pigment mixtures, they may match under the standard
source but not under another light. This phenomenon is known as metamerism (see Annex C).
A small degree of metamerism, whether arising with the same or with different pigments, may be
acceptable, depending on the particular circumstances, as the importance of metamerism depends very
much on the use for which the paint is intended. Where close colour matching in different lighting
conditions is important, the acceptable degree of metamerism, if any, shall be agreed between the
interested parties.
In addition to assessing the rating of the match under artificial average daylight illumination (D65), make
the comparison under incandescent illumination (A), and assess whether the match is maintained or not.
If a numerical description of the metamerism is required, spectral measurements shall be made in
accordance with ISO 7724-1 and ISO 7724-2, using CIE standard illuminants D65 and A, and the colour
differences shall be calculated as described in ISO 7724-3.

4 © BSI 01 October 2001

 EN ISO 3668:2001

10 Test report
The test report shall contain at least the following information:
a) all details necessary to identify the product tested;
b) a reference to this International Standard (ISO 3668);
c) the items of supplementary information referred to in Annex A;
d) a reference to the international or national standard, product specification or other document
supplying the information referred to in c);
e) whether the comparison of colour was carried out using natural daylight or artificial daylight and the
type of artificial light if used;
f) details of the colour-matching booth, if used, e.g. manufacturer and lightness of the interior;
g) a description of the rating scheme, in accordance with Annex B (see 8.1.3);
h) the result of the test, including any metamerism noted, and whether the comparison was carried out
against a freshly prepared standard or against a reference colour standard;
i) any deviation from the test method specified;
j) the date of the test, and the person/persons who carried out the test.

© BSI 01 October 2001 5

EN ISO 3668:2001

Annex A (normative)
Required supplementary information
The items of supplementary information listed in this annex shall be supplied as appropriate to enable the
method to be carried out.
The information required should preferably be agreed between the interested parties and may be derived,
in part or totally, from an international or national standard or other document related to the product
under test.
a) The material, thickness and surface preparation of the substrate.
b) The method of application of the test coating to the substrate.
c) The duration and conditions of drying (or stoving) and ageing (if applicable) of the coating before
testing.
d) The thickness, in micrometres, of the dry coating and the method of measurement in accordance with
ISO 2808, whether it is a single coating or a multicoat system, and whether the coating ensures complete
hiding of the substrate.
e) Any gloss differences between the samples, if relevant for the visual assessment.

Annex B (normative)
Colour difference rating scheme
Table B.1 — Rating scheme for components of colour difference by visual assessmenta
Rating Degree of difference
0 No perceptible difference
1 Very slight, i.e. just perceptible, difference
2 Slight, but clearly perceptible, difference
3 Moderate difference
4 Considerable difference
5 Very major difference
a Derived from ISO 4628-1:1982, Paints and varnishes — Evaluation of degradation of paint coatings — Designation of intensity,
quantity and size of common types of defect — Part 1: General principles and rating schemes.

Components of colour difference are:

Hue difference
Designation: DH (difference in hue)
Assessment: 0 to 5; more yellow (ye, y), more green (gr, g), more red (re, r), more blue (bl, b)
EXAMPLE: DH: 5ye (test specimen is 5 and more yellow)
Chroma difference
Designation: DC (difference in chroma)
Assessment: 0 to 5; more (+) or less (–)
EXAMPLE: DC: – 2 (test specimen is 2 less in chroma)
Lightness difference
Designation: DL (difference in lightness)
Assessment: 0 to 5; lighter (+) or darker (–)
EXAMPLE: DL: – 2 (test specimen is 2 and darker)

6 © BSI 01 October 2001

 EN ISO 3668:2001

Annex C (informative)
Metameric matches
When two paints have identical spectral reflection curves, they will match visually under any illuminant
irrespective of its spectral characteristics. This is termed a “spectral match”.
It is also possible for two paints having different spectral reflection curves to match visually under a given
light source, but not to match under another light source with different spectral characteristics. Such
matches are termed “metameric”.
Where the pigments in two matching paints are different, some metamerism inevitably occurs; in certain
cases, there may even be a small degree of metamerism when the same pigments are used.
The simplest method of determining whether a match made under an artificial light source conforming to
this International Standard is metameric or not is to inspect it in addition under the light from a tungsten
filament lamp, and it is recommended that this be done unless it is known that identical pigments have
been used. If the match is maintained under the tungsten lamp, it is unlikely to be metameric; if the paints
no longer match, but the degree of mismatch is not obvious, then it is unlikely that any greater degree of
mismatch will occur under most generally occurring natural and generally used artificial illuminants with
continuous spectra. However, this may not be the case for illuminants with a line emission spectrum, such
as fluorescent, TL84 and sodium and mercury vapour lamps.
A metameric match made under an artificial light source conforming to this International Standard may
not continue to be a match under certain daylight conditions (for example north light from a blue sky or
sunlight from a low sun), but it will continue to be a match under the most frequently occurring phases of
daylight. It must be noted, however, that, in any case of metamerism, differences in the colour vision of
normal observers may influence their assessment as to whether the colours of two paints match or not.

© BSI 01 October 2001 7

EN ISO 3668:2001

Annex ZA (normative)
Normative references to international publications with their relevant
European publications
This European Standard incorporates by dated or undated reference, provisions from other publications.
These normative references are cited at the appropriate places in the text and the publications are listed
hereafter. For dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of any of these publications apply
to this European Standard only when incorporated in it by amendment or revision. For undated references
the latest edition of the publication referred to applies (including amendments).
NOTE Where an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod.), the relevant
EN/HD applies.

Publication Year Title EN/HD Year

ISO 1512 1991 Paints and varnishes — Sampling of products in liquid or EN 21512 1994
paste form
ISO 1513 1992 Paints and varnishes — Examination and preparation of EN ISO 1513 1994
samples for testing
ISO 1514 1993 Paints and varnishes — Standard panels for testing EN ISO 1514 1997
ISO 2808 1997 Paints and varnishes — Determination of film thickness EN ISO 2808 1999
ISO 3270 1984 Paints and varnishes and their raw materials — EN 23270 1991
Temperatures and humidities for conditioning and testing

8 © BSI 01 October 2001

blank 9
BS EN ISO
3668:2001
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