Color Matching for Pet Products Starts with the Material

When choosing one green for a pet wearable, don't assume its webbing and plastic housing will look identical beside each other. A shared color reference still needs a material and surface finish attached to it. For a brand approving samples, that detail helps define what a color match should look like.

Specify the surface with the color

QCOOL's published pet product customization capabilities include webbing colors and surface finishes, alongside material and component options. For a brand, those choices belong together in the brief. A request for green webbing leaves a different approval question from a request for a green housing with a matte finish.

X-Rite explains that appearance includes texture and gloss, with lighting and viewing position also affecting what an observer sees. So a color name alone leaves part of the intended result undescribed.

Identify each colored component and its intended finish. For a proposed collar-mounted device, that might mean separate entries for woven webbing and the outer housing. Treat the package as another surface to approve.

Compare the parts under agreed lighting

Two samples can match under one light and look different under another. X-Rite calls this metamerism and notes that it can arise when a product combines different materials. Comparing parts only beside one office lamp may leave that difference undiscovered.

Pantone's guidance on comparing its color systems recommends considering the final texture or finish and the lighting in which the product will be displayed. For a pet brand, the practical step is to agree how samples will be viewed before judging a revision.

Place the representative parts together with the chosen reference under those conditions. If the product will be presented in another relevant light, compare it there too. Record the conditions with the decision so the next reviewer knows how it was reached.

A phone photograph can show which part needs discussion. X-Rite cautions that photographs are affected by the environment in which they're taken, so use the agreed physical references for the approval decision.

Keep an identifiable approval reference

Retain the accepted sample with its component name and revision. Keep the material and finish description beside it. If the approved webbing is later replaced with a different construction, review its appearance again instead of assuming the earlier decision covers the substitution.

QCOOL's project support scope includes coordinating samples and managing revisions. A brand can use that process to connect the agreed appearance to the correct sample. The published capability page doesn't establish a color tolerance or a particular measurement method for every order. Those details need an agreement for the project.

A useful approval tells the next person which surface was accepted and under what viewing conditions. The word green on its own leaves both questions open.

References

OEM ODM Capabilities — QCOOL.

How Appearance Affects Color — X-Rite, 2017, updated 2025.

What Is Metamerism — X-Rite, 2016, updated 2025.

Pantone Graphics and 294 New Colors FAQ — Pantone.