Have you ever wondered how, year after year, your favorite brands keep their packaging color incredibly consistent? The secret almost always starts in a lab. Behind every “perfect match” you see on the shelf is a highly knowledgeable team who understands how pigments, polymers, and processing all interact.
At BADGER COLOR USA, our full color matching process is as much craft as chemistry—designed to capture your exact target color and help keep it consistent from the first batch to the hundredth.
Step One – Getting the Right Information
When a customer submits a color match request, our team will gather key information, such as:
-
What type and grade of resin are you using?
-
What is the color target?
-
Do you need a liquid or pellet concentrate?
-
Are there regulatory or performance requirements?
-
What is the part thickness?
-
What is the heat profile?
-
What light source will you use to evaluate the color?
These questions tell us how the color needs to behave. The resin and process determine how pigments will react; the target and light source define what “match” actually means. These details are essential for achieving the right color the first time.
See the full list of questions here.
Step Two – Testing in the Lab
Once BADGER COLOR USA has all the required information, along with your customer-specific resin and color target, our lab team can begin working on the color match.
In the lab, our color technicians evaluate the resin and target and formulate to reproduce the desired color as accurately as possible, taking into account resin characteristics, processing conditions, and surface finish. Based on your request, we can produce color chips or other molded formats in masterbatch or liquid color for review.
Samples can be shipped together with the initial color match or produced after your customer has approved the color, depending on your timeline and project needs.
Step Three – Customer Review
Color chips or demonstration molded parts are sent to you or your customer for review and approval under the specified lighting conditions provided in the original match information, and whenever possible. This ensures the color is evaluated the same way as in our lab.
If the color needs refinement, our team will adjust the formula based on your feedback and provide updated Color chips or demonstration molded parts until the target is met. Once the color is approved, BADGER COLOR USA can move forward with samples and/or production, based on your project needs.
We strongly encourage masterbatch and liquid color to be sampled prior to full production runs.
Color That Performs, Batch After Batch
Color control is rarely about a single formula—it’s about predictability. You need to know that the next order will look the same as the first. By starting with complete information and testing under realistic conditions, BADGER COLOR USA removes much of the guesswork that can slow production or cause variation later on.
The process is deliberate for a reason. It helps limit the variables that affect how a color behaves—resin type, processing heat, light, finish, and more. When those factors are understood early, a “perfect match” isn’t just possible; it’s repeatable in real-world manufacturing.
Send us your resin and color target, and take a look at our color match FAQs to begin your partnership with BADGER COLOR USA. We’re ready to support your next project with masterbatch and liquid color solutions that perform.
Start Your Custom Color Match