A spinning swatch loading animation.

Problem:

One of the most annoying things in 3D printing is ordering filament, waiting for it to arrive, and then finding out that it's completely the wrong color for the project you wanted it for. Some manufacturers try to get around this by putting Pantone colors on their spools, but certainly not everyone does this. (If they did, this app probably wouldn't exist.)

Every filament manufacturer has pictures of their product online. It's always super easy to compare and contrast different filament colors to make sure they'll work for whatever you're planning... as long as you're buying everything from the same manufacturer. What do you do if you want to buy from two different places?

Solution:

Get filaments from lots of different manufacturers, print with them, measure them, and photograph the results under similar conditions. We use colorimetry to show you the measured color of each plastic, then use that data (and color theory!) to automatically recommend other colors that will look good with it, regardless of manufacturer. If you know what the primary color of your project is going to be, let us suggest the other colors you should use!

Looking for the file I use? Find it here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:664377 (The link contains two versions: large and small. I use the small one for my samples.)

FAQ

How does it work?

All the images are taken using the same setup and same equipment. After that, we use a colorimeter to measure the filament color. We take that data, plug it into the site, and use color theory math to suggest other colors for you to check out. We also show you the closest Pantone and RAL colors to the observed readings from the plastic, so you can see if it'll work well for something you need to match in the real world.

If you're interested in seeing how all this comes together into a application (and some of the crazy awesome math that I learned while putting this together), all the source code for the app is publicly available on GitHub. Just click the link in the footer on any page of the app. (Or click here!)

What equipment do you use?

Why do you call it a library?

The filament library, at its core, is a form of reference library. The materials we archive are used for reference and research purposes, and are not for sale or distribution. We meticulously catalog each sample, record data from them, and ensure that the sample is stored in a way that we can reference it in the future.

We take archiving very seriously, which is one of the reasons we don't take user-submitted data we cannot independently verify. We want to make sure that the data we have is as accurate as possible so that you are getting the best information we can provide.

Dear God, why?

It was very frustrating to me that I couldn't tell ahead of time how different filaments would look when I was getting ready to purchase something specifically for a project. After all, like most of us, I'm not made of money and 3D printing is not a cheap hobby. Buying a color that defies expectations is not fun, so I designed this app to help out my own projects and also help others with planning their upcoming projects.

Where do the samples come from?

Mostly, they come from viewers like you! Over the years, many have come from subscription services like the Maker Box, many have come from manufacturers themselves, and many have come from spools that I've purchased over the years... but the most have come through independent donations of folks in 3D printing around the world. If you're interested in donating filament to the library, please take a look at the donations page!

Can I send you color data?

Unfortunately, no. We need to have the plastic on hand for measurements and for archival afterwards; we can't take data from other sources. If you're interested in donating filament to the library, please take a look at the donations page!

Why are the complement sections sometimes hilariously wrong?

Computers don't see color the same way humans do; there are many very long and very involved research papers on the subject, none of which I'm qualified to speak on. Color matches are as close as we can get with the color library we currently have and the color math used. Complements do not work super well on white and black filament, since the complements try to match the brightness of the swatch in addition to the hue. Some resources that might be interesting.

I want to help!

Take a look at the donations page and send me an email at [email protected] if you've got any questions!

What runs this app?

This app is served on Digital Ocean, the backend is written in Python's Django framework, and the HTML / CSS is lovingly hand-written using Bootstrap as a guide. Cost wise, it doesn't take much -- just a few dollars every now and again. To offset that, I'm a member of the Amazon Affiliate program. Clicking on any of the "Buy on Amazon" links scattered throughout the app will provide a small kickback that I use solely for keeping the app running and occasionally buying sample packs to add new materials to the app.

Can I print the swatches and send them in?

A meme of a cartoon pirate saying 'Well yes, but actually no.'

Here's the deal: due to some folks ruining the fun for everyone, I am willing to take pre-printed swatches as long as you work with me first to make sure they're a good quality (and please don't be offended if I ask for filament cuttings per the normal donation process). If you want to give it a shot, please find the process here.

Licensing Information

All the source code for this application, found on GitHub, is licensed under the MIT license.
All images, text, and data found on the production version of this app is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
Some icons on this site are courtesy of icons8.