What is Swatch Card?

A swatch card is a collection of small sample pieces that a manufacturer or supplier prepares to show customers its fabric, yarn, trim or color options. The buyer picks a quality, color or trim from it, and the quote, sample and order follow. In Turkey the same card is called kartela.

What is a swatch card? Meaning in textiles

The Turkish Language Association (TDK) defines kartela as a list that shows the varieties of products such as paint, fabric and carpet in small pieces (our translation; accessed October 16, 2026). The word comes from Italian cartella, and renk kartelası (color card) is a recorded compound. For fabric, a card is fabric samples arranged in pieces, prepared by a kartela elemanı or fabric sample planning staff member (Eleman.net).

Types: fabric, shade, color, yarn and trim cards

The English names depend on what the card shows. The split below is Tekstil Rehberi's arrangement; no independent textile dictionary defines these names.

The names overlap, so ask which card a supplier means. A yarn card can be printed or carry small pieces of each thread; DMC offers both versions of its embroidery card.

What is a swatch card used for?

A card shows color, pattern and fabric surface on a real piece, and hand feel (tuşe) can only be judged by touching it. The buyer's route is usually (Tekstil Rehberi summary):

1. Choose and get a quote: pick the quality and color on the card; the supplier quotes against that choice.
2. Sample and color approval: ask for a sample of the chosen quality and, for color, a lab dip or an approved sample.
3. Order: write the quality name, color code and approved sample into the order. The approved sample is the reference for production (contract garment manufacturing guide); India's merchandiser file keeps approved swatches and trim cards in the pre-production file (NCVET, 2025, p. 20).

A useful card lists the quality name or number, composition, width (cm), weight (GSM, g/m²), color name or code and supplier (a Tekstil Rehberi suggestion, not a standard). If the weight is missing, ask the supplier; weighing a small piece yourself magnifies scale error (see the fabric GSM calculator).

Swatch card vs sample: what is the difference?

A card is for choosing; a sample is for approving. Color and print have their own approval pieces (Sarkar, 2016): a lab dip is dyed fabric or yarn for color approval, and a strike-off is printed on the production fabric and base color for print approval.

Hypothetical example: a brand likes quality “K-2041” (fictional code: 100% cotton single jersey, 160 g/m², navy) on a mill's card. Since the card shows only look and hand feel, it asks for a washed sample length, has shrinkage and pilling measured, approves color in writing against an approved sample, and writes the card code into the order.

What to check before ordering from a swatch card

• Approve color with a lab dip or approved sample, not the card. A lab dip is a trial dyeing on a small sample before bulk dyeing. Get the approval in writing and ask the dye house how many rounds and how much time to expect.
• Dye lots can differ. Fabric is dyed in lots, and shade can vary in production: a Cotton Incorporated bulletin names uneven preparation and small lab weighing errors among the causes (ISP 1014, 2005), and a Turkish Ministry of National Education module notes color differences between rolls and between the ends of one roll (MEGEP, 2008, p. 4). Compare the approved sample's color, weight and width with the production lot (T-shirt fabric guide).
• Light changes color. Two colors can look the same under one light and different under another, called illuminant metamerism (HunterLab, 2022). Do not approve color under one light; India's lab equipment list includes a color-matching light box (NCVET, p. 13).
• State the repeat on patterned fabric. Give the pattern repeat (cm) and color order with the card, an image or a dimensioned drawing, for example on plaid.

For the full buying flow, see how to source fabric from Turkey; for suppliers, fabric, sewing thread and trims companies.

How is a swatch card made?

Eleman.net's job description for a kartela staff member lists the work: sourcing and checking bolts of fabric, cutting the fabric into pieces, trimming the edges, assembling a catalog and entering new fabrics' names and barcodes. At a dye house, the target color may be a card, a fabric piece or the buyer's sample.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a swatch card and a sample?

A card is for choosing: it shows look, color and hand feel. A sample is for testing and approving the chosen quality before the order.

Is a swatch card enough to order fabric?

No. It lets you choose, not approve. Ask for a sample and a test report before production, and approve color in writing with a lab dip or an approved sample.

What is kartela in English?

There is no single translation: swatch card, swatch book or swatch file for fabric; shade card or color card for colors and thread; trim card for trims.