Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of Colour Index International (“the Service”), operated by the Society of Dyers and Colourists Enterprises Ltd (“SDCE”, “we”, “us”) on behalf of the Society of Dyers and Colourists, a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 212331). By creating an account, accessing the Service, or submitting a product record, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

Last revised: 16 May 2026.

Definitions

• “Service” — the Colour Index International database accessible at www.colour-index.com, together with associated APIs, downloads, and documentation.
• “Content” — the Colour Index Generic Names, Constitution Numbers, fingerprints, product records, editorial commentary, and all other material made available through the Service.
• “You” — the natural person or legal entity accessing the Service.
• “Subscription” — a paid right of access governed by the tier and billing schedule selected at sign-up.

The Service

Colour Index International is the authoritative reference for synthetic dyes and pigments, maintained by the Society of Dyers and Colourists since 1924 and now in its Fourth Edition Online. We make every effort to keep the data accurate and current, but the Service is provided on an “as is” basis. Decisions on regulatory compliance, product safety, and commercial substitution remain your responsibility — verify any Colour Index entry against your supplier and the regulator with jurisdiction over your country of import.

Accounts

You must be at least sixteen years old to register. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us promptly at info@colour-index.com if you suspect unauthorised access. You may not share account credentials — multi-user access is governed by the institutional subscription tier.

Subscriptions and billing

Subscriptions are offered to individuals, companies, and educational institutions. Pricing and inclusions for each tier are set out on the Pricing page. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing cycle unless cancelled in advance through your account settings. We may change prices on thirty days’ written notice; you may cancel before the change takes effect.

Refunds are at our discretion. Subscriptions cancelled mid-cycle remain active until the end of the billing period for which payment has already been made.

Acceptable use

You may use the Service for any lawful purpose. You may not:

• Scrape, crawl, or otherwise extract Content at a rate that degrades service for other subscribers, or in a manner that bypasses the API rate limits.
• Republish, redistribute, or resell Content in bulk without a separate commercial licence from SDCE.
• Use the Service to compile a competing reference work.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other accounts, to the underlying infrastructure, or to non-public APIs.
• Submit product records that you do not have the right to register, or that contain knowingly false safety or regulatory information.
• Use the Service for any purpose that is unlawful in the United Kingdom or in your country of access.

Intellectual property

The Colour Index, the Colour Index Generic Name (CIGN) scheme, and the Constitution Number (CICN) scheme are trademarks of the Society of Dyers and Colourists. The Content is the property of the SDC, except where attributed to a manufacturer or third party. Your subscription grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access the Content for the purposes set out in your subscription tier. No other rights are granted by implication, estoppel, or otherwise.

Manufacturer submissions

If you register a commercial product, you warrant that the information provided is accurate to the best of your knowledge and that you have the right to disclose it. You grant SDCE a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual licence to publish that information within the Colour Index. The supplier declaration that accompanies each registration is binding.

Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability to you in any twelve-month period is capped at the fees you paid for the Service in that period. We exclude liability for indirect loss, loss of profit, loss of business, and loss of data. Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under English law.

Indemnity

You will indemnify SDCE against any third-party claim arising from your breach of these Terms, your submission of inaccurate manufacturer information, or your use of the Service in a manner that infringes a third party’s rights.

Termination

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. We may suspend or terminate accounts that breach these Terms, with notice where practicable. On termination you remain liable for fees that accrued before termination; we will not refund the unused portion of a paid-up subscription terminated for cause.

Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email to registered subscribers at least thirty days before they take effect, and will be flagged on the home page. The current version always carries a “Last revised” date.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them, save that we may bring proceedings in any jurisdiction where you are based.

Contact

Questions about these Terms: info@colour-index.com. Commercial-licensing enquiries: licensing@colour-index.com.