The Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) is the registered educational charity that maintains the Colour Index. Founded in Bradford in 1884 and granted a Royal Charter in 1971, the Society sets the standards by which dyes and pigments are named, tested, and traded internationally.
Charitable mission
The SDC’s charitable objects are the advancement of education in the application of colour and the chemistry of dyes and pigments. In practice that means three things: maintaining the Colour Index as a stable, authoritative reference; running an examined qualifications programme (the ASDC, LSDC, and FSDC awards) for practising colourists; and supporting students, researchers, and educators with reduced-cost institutional access and a public grants programme.
Publications
The Colour Index is the Society’s flagship publication, but it is not the only one. The SDC also publishes:
- Coloration Technology — the peer-reviewed journal of dye and pigment chemistry, published bimonthly with Wiley since 1885.
- Society Bulletin — member-facing news, committee updates, and regional event listings.
- Technical monographs and conference proceedings — the SDC International Conferences, held biennially since 1979.
The full publications list is at sdc.org.uk.
Conferences and events
The SDC International Conference is the principal gathering of the dye and pigment community, held biennially with rotating host cities. Regional sections (UK, China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan) run their own programmes; the AATCC partnership in North America runs a complementary event calendar.
Education programmes
The Society’s examined qualifications (ASDC, LSDC, FSDC) certify practising colourists at three levels of expertise; the awards are recognised by major textile, coatings, and ink houses worldwide. Educational outreach — school visits, the Perkin Medal lecture series, and the colourist-in-residence programme — brings the chemistry of colour to a broader audience.
Governance
The Society is governed by a Council elected by the membership. Day-to-day operations are delegated to SDC Enterprises, a wholly-owned trading subsidiary; the Council retains editorial oversight of the Colour Index through the Editorial Board and the Nomenclature Committee.
Get in touch
The SDC operates from Perkin House, 82 Grattan Road, Bradford BD1 2JB, United Kingdom. Visit sdc.org.uk for membership enquiries, qualifications information, and conference registration; visit our Contact page for Colour Index editorial questions.