What is a colour match, and why it matters

When it comes to powder coating jobs today, near enough normally isn't good enough. This is why we will typically ask questions about the size and shape of the job, and how it will be used, before recommending a colour. 

While the colour may look the same when you're holding samples right next to the colour you're trying to match, powder coat colour matches are rated from a distance of one metre. This means environmental factors like lighting can affect the actual tone you see. 

This is one of the reasons we use and recommend RAL colour standards as we stock powder in a large number of their colours. These are colour-matched as the colour standards set out the exact specifications of each colour. 

We also have a brochure (CLICK HERE) showcasing a large range of our stocked colours using colour-matched chips, while we also sell colour sample panels (CLICK HERE) for matching once a ballpark hue has been found. 

We stock many of the most popular safety standards colours, vehicle colours and even equipment colours in stock at our Smithfield headquarters. We also have options in case we don't have an exact colour-match, too.

Depending on the size and shape of your powder coating job, you may be able to get away with a "passable" colour. This won't be a perfect match if someone is studying the job looking for imperfections, but it will appear the same to someone walking past it. 

If you're chasing a colour for your job that we don't stock we can import them, but powders which need to be custom-made require a 100kg minimum order. Stocked powders can be ordered in smaller quantities but they attract a price premium due to production and shipping costs.