Colour Index entries are cited in academic publications, regulatory dossiers, conservation reports, and patent applications. This note sets out the canonical citation format and the variants used by downstream applications.
Standard citation
Cite the Generic Name, the Constitution Number, and the edition:
C.I. Acid Red 1, C.I. 18050, Colour Index™ Fourth Edition Online (Society of Dyers and Colourists, 2026).
For a commercial product record, append the manufacturer’s trade name, the product code, and the date you retrieved the record:
BASF Acidol Red 1, C.I. Acid Red 1, C.I. 18050, retrieved 14 May 2026.
Inline references
For inline use in running prose, “C.I. Acid Red 1 (C.I. 18050)” is acceptable. Drop the “C.I.” prefix on second mention.
API and bulk citations
Records accessed through the public API carry a stable identifier in the response payload. Cite the API record using its cicn field and the API version that returned it — this is the only citation format that survives committee revisions of the human-readable Generic Name.
Licensing
Quotation of individual entries for academic or journalistic purposes is covered by fair-dealing exceptions under UK copyright law. Bulk republication of records (more than fifty entries, or any complete application class) requires a commercial licence — contact licensing@colour-index.com.