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Transparent colour comparison method
In briefSee which values come from stored records, which relationships are calculated, how colour difference is ranked and why every result still needs physical sampling.
Method 1
Paint records retain the supplier reference, name, brand, collection and digital colour supplied to the library. HEX is treated as an sRGB screen reference. RGB, HSL and the internal Lab values are deterministically derived from it. LRV, finishes and mixing pathways are shown only when those fields or reviewed relationships exist.
Method 2
The shared engine linearises the stored sRGB channels, converts them to XYZ and then to an internal CIELAB representation using a D65 reference white. This is a consistent comparison space for the library; it is not a spectral measurement of dried paint and is not the D50-adapted CSS lab() encoding.
Method 3
For nearest-colour searches, the engine first narrows the indexed candidates in Lab, then calculates CIEDE2000 (Delta E 00) for the shortlist and orders the results from lower to higher colour difference. Default weighting factors are used. Same-brand similar colours and cross-brand alternatives use separate candidate sets. A lower value indicates a closer comparison within this digital dataset, not identical paint.
Method 4
NCS is treated as a colour-reference system, not a decorative paint manufacturer. A nearest NCS result is the closest published NCS record in the same digital Lab index using CIEDE2000. It does not claim that the decorative paint is an NCS colour, that the values are equivalent, or that an NCS reference defines a paint product, formulation or finish.
Method 5
Tonal and complementary wallpaper groups are ranked from deterministic HSL hue, saturation and lightness targets. Paint companions are precomputed within the source brand or colour system from stored Lab and RGB values using role-specific lightness, chroma, hue separation, CIEDE2000 and screen-contrast gates. Cross-library results use the same calculation but remain a separate, visitor-requested scope. These are independent design prompts, not manufacturer-authored pairings.
Method 6
Wallpaper colour points are extracted from catalogue imagery and stored against the wallpaper record. Image lighting, photography, compression, cropping and display conditions can all affect the result. The links therefore identify coordinated image colours and must be checked against a current physical wallpaper sample.
Method 7
A Pantone result is the nearest stored digital reference in the maintained reference table, compared with CIEDE2000. It is not an official conversion, ink formula, paint formula or claim of equivalence. The Pantone system and suffix matter: coated and uncoated references can appear different because the printing substrate changes colour appearance.
Method 8
Screens have different gamuts, profiles, calibration, brightness and viewing conditions. Paint also changes with pigment, sheen, opacity, substrate, application, surrounding colours and illumination. Use the digital result to reduce a shortlist, then compare current physical samples in the intended finish, surface and room.
Practical guidance
Who it is for: Customers, decorators and designers who want to understand how digital paint relationships are calculated and where the method stops.
Check whether a value is stored or calculated.
Read Delta E as relative digital distance rather than equivalence.
Use the ranking to shortlist physical samples.
Frequently asked questions
Begin with the page route closest to your project, save useful product references and bring the shortlist to the showroom if you need help refining it.
They are digital representations only. Always test a physical paint or wallpaper sample in the intended space before deciding.
The site is for discovery and guidance, not live stock control. Contact the Mill Hill showroom for current availability, variants and lead times.
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