Editorial Policy

This page describes how Pantone Colors sources its data, maintains accuracy, handles corrections, and discloses the limitations of what we publish. It applies to every page on the site — every color page, converter, tool, and article.

What we publish

Every page on this site falls into one of three categories:

• Reference data. Pantone, RAL, paint brand, and Color of the Year color values, with their HEX, RGB, CMYK, and LAB approximations. These are published as-is from our data files; we do not editorialize about them.
• Interactive tools. Converters, pickers, palettes, and games that compute with the reference data. These pages describe what the tool does, how it works, and its limitations — but the tool's output is a mechanical computation, not an editorial claim.
• Editorial content. Explanatory articles about color, Pantone history, brand usage, and design workflows. These reflect our understanding and are dated at the bottom of the page.

We do not publish promotional content, sponsored content, or affiliate content. Every recommendation or link on the site is either internal (to another page on this site) or points to a genuinely useful external resource with no compensation arrangement.

Where the data comes from

Pantone color values in our catalog are widely-published digital approximations of the physical Pantone Solid Coated library. They are not official Pantone-published HEX or RGB values (Pantone does not publish HEX or RGB values for its Solid Coated colors, because those colors are physical inks). Different published sources of Pantone-to-HEX conversions disagree by small amounts; our catalog uses the most commonly-cited values.

RAL Classic values are similarly drawn from widely-published digital approximations. RAL is a physical paint standard, and different reference sources disagree by 2–5% for the same RAL code. Our catalog uses mid-range values.

Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore values are drawn from each brand's own published digital color library (which the brands publish for design-tool integration). Color names and codes are trademarks of their respective owners.

Color of the Year values are drawn from Pantone's own press releases for each year's announcement. HEX and RGB values are digital approximations consistent with our catalog's methodology.

For the full source list with specific citation points, see the sources page.

Color difference methodology

Every match computation on this site uses Delta E 2000 (ΔE00), the current CIE standard for perceptual color difference. Delta E 2000 weights lightness, chroma, and hue according to human visual sensitivity, and adjusts for regional non-uniformities in CIELAB color space. This makes it more accurate than Delta E 1976 (ΔE76), which is what most competitor sites still use, but which produces misleading matches in blues and purples.

We do not offer Delta E 1976 matching anywhere on the site, because it is a deprecated metric. If you see a competitor's "closest Pantone" result that seems visually wrong, it is often because they use Delta E 1976.

How we handle corrections

Corrections are the highest-priority editorial work on the site. If you find a data error, a broken tool, or a factual mistake in an article, please contact us with:

• The specific URL where the error appears
• The value or claim you believe is wrong
• The value or claim you believe is correct
• Your source (physical Pantone chip photo, official Pantone publication, or a screenshot from a Pantone-licensed tool)

Corrections with a clear source are usually applied within 1–2 weeks. Corrections with unclear sources are reviewed more carefully and may be declined. All accepted corrections are reflected in the changelog.

Disclosure of limitations

We are explicit about what our data can and cannot do. Every converter page states that the match is a visual approximation, not a print specification. Every paint page carries a disclaimer that the colors are trademarks of the paint brands and are not endorsed by them. Every RAL page notes that RAL hex values are unofficial translations that vary by source. Every page that touches a third-party trademark displays an appropriate disclaimer.

We do not claim that any color on this site matches any physical Pantone ink exactly. We do not claim that our Delta E 2000 matches are "correct" in an absolute sense — they are perceptually closest matches within our catalog, and no catalog-based matching can account for the physical paper, ink, lighting, and press conditions of a real print job. For production work, always verify with physical Pantone chips.

Trademark and legal disclaimers

"Pantone," "PMS," "Pantone Matching System," "Color of the Year," and related names are trademarks of Pantone LLC. "RAL" is a trademark of RAL gGmbH. "NCS" is a trademark of NCS Colour AB. "Sherwin-Williams" and "Benjamin Moore" are trademarks of their respective owners. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of these organizations.

We use these trademarks in their informative sense (to identify the color systems they refer to), not in any way that implies endorsement or affiliation. If you are a trademark holder and believe any use on this site is improper, please contact us.

Updates and changes

Every substantive page on the site is dated with a "Last updated" or "Last reviewed" note. When we change the underlying data (for example, adding a new RAL code or correcting a Pantone value), the change appears in the changelog. When we change the editorial policy itself, the "Last updated" date at the top of this page is updated.

Questions

For questions about this policy, contact: info@pantone-site.pages.dev