The PANTONE PLUS Plastic Standard Chips Collection is the complete professional plastics reference for designers, product developers, industrial manufacturers and colour decision-makers who need to translate Pantone PMS colours into physical plastic standards. The collection contains all 1,755 colours of the Pantone PLUS Series as large polypropylene chips, creating a comprehensive colour communication system for plastic product development and manufacturing.
For the first time, teams working with plastics can access a full Pantone spot-colour library in a material format that is directly relevant to plastic production. Unlike paper guides or digital colour values, these polypropylene chips allow colour to be evaluated in a real plastic substrate, with surface finish and thickness effects included. This makes the collection especially valuable for products where colour, material and manufacturing feasibility must be considered together.
The collection is organised in three rotating carousel towers. Each tower contains six separable trays, allowing specific colour groups to be removed for focused work, supplier meetings, palette development or project reviews. The rotating base makes colour location easier, while the modular tray system keeps the full 1,755-colour library organised and accessible in the studio, laboratory or production environment.
Each plastic chip measures approximately 3 × 1.9 inches, or 76.2 × 47.6 mm. This large format supports confident visual evaluation and is suitable for instrumental measurement with a spectrophotometer. For professional quality control, the ability to measure the physical standard is essential. It helps teams move beyond subjective colour approval and supports more precise communication between design, sourcing, tooling, moulding and manufacturing.
Every chip is made from polypropylene, one of the most widely referenced plastic materials. Polypropylene provides a practical standard for evaluating colour in a material that is closely aligned with common production substrates. While final results must always be validated in the intended polymer and manufacturing process, a polypropylene reference gives designers and suppliers a far stronger starting point than paper-based colour comparison alone.
The chips include two material thicknesses of 1 mm and 2 mm. This is a critical feature for plastics colour development because colour appearance can change with wall thickness, opacity, translucency and light interaction. A colour may look brighter or more transparent in a thin area and deeper or more saturated in a thicker part. The two-tier chip structure helps professionals assess these differences before costly sampling or production decisions are made.
Each chip is double-sided with gloss and matte finishes. Surface finish can dramatically affect how a colour is perceived. Gloss can intensify depth, reflection and saturation, while matte can create a softer, more technical or more premium appearance. By showing both finishes on the same colour standard, the collection allows teams to evaluate colour and surface effect together.
Every chip is marked with the corresponding Pantone PMS number, identical to the colour number in the Pantone Formula Guide. This enables cross-matching between plastic components, printed graphics and packaging. A brand colour selected for a printed carton, logo or label can be coordinated more effectively with a moulded plastic housing, cap, accessory, toy, closure or consumer product component.
The collection includes a Pantone Formula Guide Coated as a printed quick-reference tool. This supports comparison between plastic standards and printed spot-colour applications. For brands developing multi-material product systems, this connection between plastic and print is particularly important. It helps align packaging, product, accessories, labels and marketing communication within a shared Pantone colour language.
Corresponding pigment formulation information is included electronically. These formulations provide a technical starting point for manufacturing accuracy and can help reduce expensive trial-and-error during colour development. Suppliers can use the physical chip together with formulation data to begin matching the target colour more efficiently. Final approval should still be based on production samples made with the intended material, process, surface finish and part geometry.
The 1,755 colours are arranged chromatically, with index information providing both numeric and chromatic location. This makes the collection useful for both creative browsing and precise technical specification. Designers can move through colour families intuitively, while engineers, suppliers and quality teams can locate a specific Pantone reference quickly.
The collection is designed for any product made from coloured plastic. Applications include beauty packaging, food and beverage packaging, consumer electronics, fashion accessories, hard home, toys, medical devices, appliances, industrial products, product design education and more. It is particularly valuable when matching plastic products to printed spot-colour materials is critical.
For beauty brands, the collection supports the coordination of plastic caps, jars, compacts, applicators, cartons and retail displays. For consumer electronics, it can guide housing colours, buttons, accessories and packaging systems. For toys and hard home, it supports broad palette development and manufacturing control. For medical devices, controlled colour can support usability, product differentiation and brand recognition.
The PANTONE PLUS Plastic Standard Chips Collection connects creative colour choice with manufacturing reality. It provides the physical standards, pigment data and organisational structure needed to specify, communicate, compare and approve colour across international plastics supply chains.
For teams that rely on accurate plastic colour, this collection is a complete professional reference system. It supports faster colour development, clearer supplier communication, stronger cross-material coordination and more reliable production control from early concept to final manufactured product.
Key Benefits
- Complete Pantone PLUS plastics colour collection
- 1,755 Pantone PMS spot colours as plastic standard chips
- Three rotating carousel towers for organised access
- Six separable trays per tower
- 600 colours per tower, 100 per tray, final tray with 55 colours
- Large chip size: 3 × 1.9 inches / 76.2 × 47.6 mm
- Polypropylene chips for realistic plastics colour evaluation
- Suitable for spectrophotometer measurement
- Two material thicknesses: 1 mm and 2 mm
- Double-sided chips with gloss and matte finishes
- PMS number marked on every chip
- Pigment formulation information included electronically
- Pantone Formula Guide Coated included as print reference
- Numeric and chromatic index for efficient navigation
- Supports product design, plastics manufacturing and quality control
FAQ
What is included in the PANTONE PLUS Plastic Standard Chips Collection?
The collection includes 1,755 Pantone PMS colours as polypropylene plastic standard chips, organised in three rotating towers with removable trays.
What size are the plastic chips?
Each chip measures approximately 3 × 1.9 inches, or 76.2 × 47.6 mm, making it large enough for visual evaluation and spectrophotometer measurement.
Why are the chips made from polypropylene?
Polypropylene is one of the most referenced plastic materials and provides a practical standard for evaluating colour in a real plastics context.
Why do the chips have two thicknesses?
The 1 mm and 2 mm areas help users evaluate how wall thickness, opacity and material depth influence colour appearance in plastic products.
Can the chips be matched to Pantone printed colours?
Yes. Each chip is referenced by a PMS number identical to the Formula Guide, supporting coordination between plastic components, graphics and packaging.
Who should use this collection?
It is designed for product designers, plastics manufacturers, industrial designers, packaging teams, beauty brands, consumer electronics companies, toy manufacturers, medical device developers and design schools.