SAE J361_201006

This SAE Recommended Practice applies to parts and materials used in vehicle manufacture which are intended to be acceptable color matches to a specified standard. This document is intended for use with parts or materials which are opaque or nearly so. Materials covered by this document include topcoat paint finishes, interior soft trim, interior and exterior hard trim, and exterior film and flexible trim.

The intent of this document is to precisely specify procedures for the visual evaluation of appearance of colored materials or parts incorporated in the manufacture of vehicles. The document provides a consistent engineering practice for the determination of visual color difference between materials or parts of the same or like materials. A suitable fixture providing daylight, fluorescent, and horizon lighting conditions is necessary for this evaluation.