Wig colour rings: how to match and specify colour

A wig colour ring is a set of physical swatches — one per code — that a buyer uses to choose a shade and then write it onto an order. A photograph and a screen both shift a shade, so the ring is the reference a supplier and a buyer can agree on: pick the swatch, record the code, and quote the code on the order line. This guide is about using the ring and writing the specification. Our range runs on nine published codes on a 1–10 tone scale, and the code — not the colour name — is what we confirm.

What a colour ring is, and what it is not

A colour ring is a physical reference, not a catalogue. Each swatch shows one published code in the actual hair, so the buyer reads a shade under real light rather than on a monitor. What it is not is a promise about availability: a swatch can show the tone, but whether a code is made in the length you need is confirmed on quotation. Use the ring to choose, and use the written specification to order.

Reading a code on the ring

Each code has two parts. The number is a step on the tone scale, where 1 is black and 10 is the lightest blonde. A slash joins the tones blended into one strand: 8D/60, 4/6/8/16, 2/6/500, 6/500C/60C, 100A/GRAY, 6/8/18, 2/6/10, 1B/8C and Natural are the nine codes we publish. So 4/6/8/16 is a multi-tone mix, not one flat colour. Read the ring by code, then say the code back — "light brown" is a description, 6/8/18 is an order line.

Why the ring beats a screen

Colour is chemistry as much as appearance. A permanent colour opens the cuticle with an alkaline agent so the dye can reach the cortex, and how far the shade lifts depends on the developer — so the same code can read differently on hair with a different starting tone or porosity. The final colour of each strand depends on its own original shade, which is why a ring and a physical sample repeat where a screen cannot. Match in the hand, never from a thumbnail.

Writing the colour onto an order

The order line states the code, the length and the model — nothing vaguer. Keep the swatch you chose and the piece you sampled beside the order, so the delivery can be compared to the same reference. If you are matching a customer's hair rather than picking from the ring, send a photo, a competitor piece or a physical swatch and we confirm the closest code in writing before production. Custom shades and waves are possible and add to the production time.

Checking the match on delivery

When the order arrives, compare it to the ring and to the approved sample under the same light. A working rule: the lighter the code, the more any difference shows, so check the palest shade in your range first. If a strand reads a step off, you have the swatch and the sample to show which reference was agreed. That paper trail is why the ring belongs in the order file, not on a shelf.

Reading a colour code onto an order

The code	Digits name the tones blended into one strand — e.g. 6/8/18
The tone scale	1 = black through 10 = the lightest blonde
The slash	Joins the tones in one strand; 4/6/8/16 is a multi-tone mix, not a flat colour
What the ring does	Chooses a swatch once, so the order line and the delivery share one reference
What the order line states	The code — not the colour name — plus the length and the model
What is confirmed on quotation	Availability of a code by length, and the closest match to a custom reference

Questions buyers ask

Is a wig colour ring the same as a swatch?

A ring is the whole set; a swatch is one code from it. Keep the single swatch that matches your order line, so a later delivery can be checked against the exact reference you approved.

Can I match a customer's hair from a photograph?

A photograph helps but should not be the only reference. Send it with a physical swatch or a competitor piece where you can, because a screen changes both the tone and the lift, and we confirm the closest code in writing.

Do the codes cover the medical line too?

Yes. The same nine codes run across the lace and the medical lines, so a salon can order a lace unit and a hand-tied or machine-back cap in one shade and have them arrive consistent. Colour availability by length is confirmed on quotation.

Keep reading

Sources and further reading

Match a code to your order

Tell us the codes you sell and the lengths you carry and we will confirm availability, the closest match and the specification, in writing.

WhatsApp us Colour chart

Last reviewed 11 October 2026. This guide was drafted with AI assistance, then checked against our own published colour codes and the sources above. Our range is nine codes on a 1–10 tone scale.