Tartan Finder

Custom Made in Any Tartan
Tartan Finder

Tartan Finder is the now, legendary House of Tartan software package that generates tartan images in real time from a database of over 4000 patterns. This site is used by retailers, manufacturers and individuals in every country of the world, and is the first port of call for all inquiries about wholesale and retail availability of tartan fabrics and products. Tartan Finder is now 23 years old on the web. It pre-dates all other tartan databases. Its content and method, including the numbering system, appear in all the more modern derivatives.

To generate a tartan:

  1. Enter the tartan name or unique tartan number in the 'Tartan Name' box, alternatively select from the Tartan Index given below the Tartan Finder. The listed item are all hyperlinks, so it is best to choose colour option and image size first.
  2. Select the 'Colour Option' from the drop down menu.
  3. Click on the "View Tartan" button to display the selected tartan.
  4. Find a tartan by its colours
Tartan Name
Enter the first few letters of the tartan name. Usually this is the same as the 'Clan' name, but the database also contains District, Regimental, Corporate and many 'Unnamed' tartans.

The database contains many variations of individual tartans including 'Hunting' and 'Dress' versions. Use the 'Tartan Index', to find the unique reference number of the pattern, then just enter the reference number in place of the name in the search box.

Only the first fifteen letters of the name of the tartan are accepted and used to access the database. It is possible to type in fewer letters and still have a tartan generated, but for the correct tartan to be returned it is important to type in enough letters to distinguish it from other tartans.
Colour Option
This option allows you to view the selected tartans with different colour schemes.
  • Standard
  • Modern
  • Ancient
  • Muted
  • Reproduction
  • Antique
  • Self Colour

Standard Colours
Standard Colours are simply 'Modern' shades brightened up to look good on a computer screen. Modern colour computer screens have improved to such and extent that this option will soon be removed.

Modern Colours
Modern colours are strong deep greens, blues and blacks with brightly coloured over checks. The term 'modern' refers to the analine dyes introduced c.1860 which produced darker greens and blues and a richer reds and yellows.

Ancient colours are distinct from modern colours by being less saturated in tone and lighter in shade. The term 'modern' refers to the analine dyes introduced c.1860 which produced darker greens and blues and a richer reds and yellows. The term 'ancient' should not be confused with the age of the design.

Muted colours. A range of tones only slightly different from 'Modern'. The shades are more subtle, for example, green looks more like olive green.

Reproduction colours were created by the weaver D.C. Dalgiesh to represent the colours found in a piece of tartan found at Culloden battlefield. The cloth was around 200 years old and had been preserved by the peat. The colours are therefore made up of brown shades. Other weavers have copied the idea with names like "Faded" or "Weathered"

Antique colours were devised in recent times, (by Johnston's of Elgin) to represent the warmth and charm of fabrics aged by the sun.

Self colour, or "Solid Sett" is the latest thing in tartan fashion. Solid Sett is created by weaving white yarns which reflect the light in different ways, then dye-ing cloth in various darker shades.

Tartan Index

A complete listing of all the worlds tartans including Clan, District, Regimental, Corporate and many other tartans. The index also contains many variations of individual tartans including 'Hunting' and 'Dress' versions, not all of which are commercially available. If a particular pattern is not stock supported, House of Tartan will weave it to order.

Preceding the tartan name is a unique reference ID, identifying variations of tartans with the same name, this number can be entered instead of the tartan name. These numbers have also been adopted by the former Scottish Tartans Society (numbers preceded by TS and WR) and the Scottish Tartans Authority (numbers preceded by ITI).

Browser Compatibility
The Tartan Finder was developed before browsers could display pages using frames. Now all browsers shows frames, but the old version is still useful if you want to see a larger image of the tartan. 

To view the older version of 'Tartan Finder' click on the shuttle icon - bottom right. (or here)

These pages display the tartan using javascript.