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Pantone® TCX vs TPX vs TPG

Codes such as 19-4052 TCX belong to Pantone's textile and interiors system, not to the C codes used in print. The six digits name the colour; the suffix says what the physical standard is made of — dyed cotton or coated paper.

The three suffixes

SuffixStands forMade ofUsed for
TCXTextile Cotton eXtendedA swatch of dyed cotton fabricThe production reference for fabric: what mills and dye houses match lab dips against.
TPGTextile Paper GreenA chip printed with a lacquer coating on paper; «Green» refers to a reformulated, environmentally improved coatingDesign work and mood boards, and specifying hard or coated parts such as buttons and zippers.
TPXTextile Paper eXtendedThe older paper editionRetired and replaced by TPG.

How to read the six-digit number

The number is three pairs of digits:

  • Lightness — the first pair, from 11 (lightest) to 19 (darkest).
  • Hue — the second pair, a position around the colour wheel that runs from yellows through reds, purples and blues to greens.
  • Chroma — the third pair, from 00 for neutral up to the most vivid colours.

Two Colors of the Year as examples: 19-4052 Classic Blue is lightness 19, hue 40, chroma 52; 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is lightness 11, hue 42, chroma 01.

Same number, different material

The number stays the same across TCX, TPG and TPX, so 19-4052 names the same target colour in each. The material changes, and a coated paper chip and a dyed cotton swatch can look different side by side. A colour chosen from a TPG paper guide should be checked against the TCX cotton swatch before it goes to a mill.

Why screen and fabric never match exactly

A screen emits light; fabric reflects it. Any HEX or RGB value given for a TCX code — including the ones on our Color of the Year pages — is a screen approximation, not a Pantone® value. Colours also shift between light sources, an effect called metamerism, so lab dips are approved against the physical swatch under an agreed light, for example D65 daylight.

This site has no TCX finder. We found no openly licensed list of TCX colour values, so we do not publish one. For print, the Pantone® finder matches any colour against Pantone® C codes — approximations too, ranked by Delta E.

Sources

Each statement on this page is confirmed by at least two of these. Pantone® is a trademark of Pantone LLC; this site is not affiliated with Pantone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does TCX mean in Pantone?
TCX stands for Textile Cotton eXtended. A TCX standard is a swatch of dyed cotton, and it is the reference that fabric is matched against in production.
What is the difference between Pantone TPX and TPG?
Both are paper editions of the same textile colours. TPX (Textile Paper eXtended) is the older one and has been retired; TPG (Textile Paper Green) replaced it with a reformulated, environmentally improved coating.
Is 19-4052 TCX the same colour as 19-4052 TPG?
They share the number, so they name the same target colour, but one is dyed cotton and the other is a coated paper chip, and the two can look different side by side. Check a colour picked on paper against the TCX cotton swatch before sending it to a mill.
Can a HEX code match a Pantone TCX colour?
Only approximately. A screen emits light while fabric reflects it, so a HEX value for a TCX code is a screen approximation. Approve production against the physical swatch, under the light you agreed with the supplier.
How do I read a Pantone TCX number?
The six digits come in three pairs. The first pair is lightness, from 11 (lightest) to 19 (darkest). The second pair is the hue, going around the colour wheel from yellows through reds, purples and blues to greens. The third pair is chroma, from 00 for neutral up to the most vivid colours.