Munsell Rock Color Chart

Rock Color Chart – stone color card by Munsell

Originally the color card was developed by the GSA (Geological Society of America). In 2009 it was overworked by X-Rite in the labors of Munsell. Then the washable cards (similar Soil Color Chart) entered the market.

The card contains 115 Munsell-notations that are necessary for the determination of stone colors. 5R, 10R, 5YR, 10YR, 5Y, 10Y, 5GY, 10GY, 5G, 10G, 5BG, 5B, 5PB, 5P, 5RP, 5YR, 5Y, 5GY, 5G, 5B + nine neutral grey tones.

The stone color card Munsell Rock Color Chart with 115 color fields is perfect for the description of rocks. That can be middle or fine-grined rock, or even coarse-grained. When dealing with coarse-grained rock, e.g. porphyritic granite, it is necessary to determine the color of the mineral before. Munsell Color Chart was developed in order to cover the scope of minerials that are included in stone, e.g. feldspar, quartz, glitz and hornblende. When the
rock isn’t too coarse-grained, the secondary color of minerials will be determined after turning the sample. This can be compared with the color card and will be documented under the specification of the color name.