Custom colours without surprises: Pantone matching and coating QA

Colour is the most common cause of a rejected drinkware shipment. The cause is rarely the paint — it is the missing physical reference.

Pantone is a starting point, not a guarantee

A Pantone number describes an ink on paper. Powder coating on a curved steel body reflects light differently, so the same code can land slightly warmer or flatter in reality. Always approve a sprayed sample, not a screen.

Lock it down in four steps

1. Give the Pantone reference and say whether it is the coated (C) or uncoated (U) version.
2. Ask for a physical colour sample — a sprayed cup or a coated panel — before production.
3. Sign off on that sample and have it kept at the factory as the production reference.
4. Ask for the production colour to be checked against the reference before packing, and for photographs of the check.

Keep the reference yourself

Keep the approved sample yourself as well. If the next container arrives a shade lighter, the conversation is short when both sides hold the same reference.

Finishes change perceived colour

Matte and gloss versions of the same colour read differently, and a gradient or textured finish changes it again. Decide the finish before you approve the colour, not after.