ASTM D1535-01

Designation: D 1535 – 01
Standard Practice for
1
Specifying Color by the Munsell System
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 1535; 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 (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
3
1. Scope Color; (2) a notation in the Munsell color system, derived
from luminous reflectance factor Y and chromaticity coordi-
1.1 This practice provides a means of specifying the colors
nates x and y, in the CIE system for standard illuminant C,by
of objects in terms of the Munsell color order system, a system
the use of scales defined by the Optical Society of America
based on the color-perception attributes hue, lightness, and
4
Subcommittee on the Spacing of the Munsell Colors (1).
chroma. The practice is limited to opaque objects, such as
3.2.1.1 Discussion—The Munsell notation is written as a
painted surfaces viewed in daylight by an observer having
combination of letters and numbers by which the color of an
normal color vision. This practice provides a simple visual
opaque object may be specified with respect to Munsell hue H,
method as an alternative to the more precise and more complex
Munsell value V, and Munsell chroma C, written in the form H
method based on spectrophotometry and the CIE system (see
V/C.
Practices E 308 and E 1164). Provision is made for conversion
3.2.2 hue, n—the attribute of color perception by means of
of CIE data to Munsell notation.
which a color is judged to be red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the
purple, or intermediate between adjacent pairs of these, con-
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
sidered in a closed ring (red and purple being an adjacent pair).
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
3.2.3 Munsell hue, n—an attribute of color used in the
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
Munsell color system to indicate the hue of a specimen viewed
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
in daylight.
2. Referenced Documents 3.2.3.1 Discussion—Two systems of designating Munsell
hue are shown in Fig. 1, a letter-number system and an
2.1 ASTM Standards:
all-number system. The two systems are equivalent, but the
D 1729 Practice for Visual Appraisal of Colors and Color
2
letter-number system is preferred, because it requires no prior
Differences of Diffusely-Illuminated Opaque Materials
knowledge or memory of the correspondence of numbers to
D 3134 Practice for Establishing Color and Gloss Toler-
2
hues. The hue circle is graduated in steps judged visually to be
ances
2
approximately equal.
E 284 Terminology of Appearance
3.2.4 lightness, n—the attribute of color perception by
E 308 Practice for Computing the Colors of Objects by
2
which a non-self-luminous body is judged to reflect more or
Using the CIE System
less light.
E 1164 Practice for Obtaining Spectrophotometric Data for
2
3.2.5 Munsell value, n—an attribute of color used in the
Object-Color Evaluation
Munsell color system to indicate the lightness of a specimen
3. Terminology
viewed in daylight, on a scale extending from 0 for ideal black
to 10 for ideal white, in steps that are visually approximately
3.1 Terms and definitions in Terminology E 284 are appli-
equal in magnitude.
cable to this practice.
3.2.5.1 Discussion—Achromatic or neutral colors are des-
3.2 Definitions:
ignated N followed by the value notation, thus: N 5.61/.
3.2.1 Munsell notation, n—( 1) the Munsell hue, value, and
3.2.6 chroma, n—the attribute of color used to indicate the
chroma assigned to the color of a specimen by visually
degree of departure of the color from a neutral color of the
comparing the specimen to the chips in the Munsell Book of
same lightness.
1
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E12 on Color and
Appearance and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E12.07 on Color Order
3
Systems. Available from GretagMacbeth, 617 Little Britain Road, New Windsor, NY
Current edition approved June 10, 2001. Published August 2001. Originally 12553-6148.
4
published as D 1535 – 58 T. Last previous edition D 1535 – 97. The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to a list of references at the end of
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 06.01. this standard.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
1

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
D1535–01
3.2.7 Munsell chroma, n—an attribute of color used in the by colored chips for visual examination. This color-order
Munsell color system to indicate the degree of departure of a system is the basis of the ISCC-NBS Method of Designating
color from a gray of the same Munsell value, in steps that are Colors and a Dic
...