scope:

The practice applies to parts and materials used in vehicle manufacture which are intended to be acceptable color matches to a specified color standard. This practice is intended for use with parts or materials that are opaque or nearly so and does not apply to transparent materials. Materials covered by this practice include topcoat paint finishes, interior soft trim, interior and exterior hard trim, and exterior film.

Purpose

The intent of this practice is to precisely specify procedures for instrumental color difference measurement of colored parts or colored materials incorporated in the manufacture of vehicles. The recommended practice provides a consistent engineering practice for determination of color difference, for numerical communication of color difference, and for determination of acceptance or rejection compared to numerical tolerances. The practice is intended for use as a specification and means of communication for color part acceptance in a buyer-seller agreement.

Rationale

The Color Difference Committee was formed under the auspices of the Detroit Colour Council to develop a test method for instrumental color approval of parts and materials supplied for vehicle manufacture. Since the Detroit Colour Council does not generally engage in technical committee projects or standardization activities, the Color Difference Committee became a joint project of the Detroit Colour Council and SAE. This standard was first issued in 1986. The current revision was issued in 2004.