Work intended to “standardize colors for the Textile and allied industries so that the standard name or standard number will always signify the color so designated in this card.” This work and its subsequent editions include a series of silk fabric swatches produced by the Textile Color Card Association of the United States. The swatches are mounted on an accordion fold-out. The color of each swatch is specified by a standard number for simplified reference.

The Textile Color Card Association of the United States was an independent color trend forecasting and color consulting service to the business community, known for its textile color swatch book. In 1955, the association changed its title to the Color Association of the United States. The first Standard Color Card of America was issued in 1915 for the purpose of simplifying color work by standardizing colors in the United States. Its tenth and most recent edition was published in 1981 and renamed the Standard Color Reference of America. Among other uses, the United States national flag and many state flags are officially specified based on the Standard Color Reference, as are those of a handful of other countries, such as the Philippines. The modern edition of the Color Reference includes a supplement U.S. Army Color Card showing the standard shades of the U.S. Armed Forces.