To trace the history, textile dyes dates back almost to the Bronze Age.
Compare this to the 21st-century where Textile dyes constitutes an important
segment of the whole business of specialty chemicals. Dyes that are used by
the textile industry are now mostly synthetic. They are mostly derived from
two sources namely, coal tar and petroleum-based intermediates. These dyes
are marketed as powders, granules, pastes or liquid dispersions. The
concentrations of active ingredients typically ranges from 20 to 80 percent.
The textile dye segment is characterized by new dyes. These new dyes are
regularly developed for meeting the demands of new technology, new kinds of
fabrics, detergents, advances in dyeing machineriest, along with overcoming
the serious environmental concerns posed by some existing dyes. Another
important factor is the fact that almost all the products are subjected to
seasonal demand and variation. Industrial textiles Dyes must rise up to meet
all these new and specific technical requirements.
With the fast changing of the product profile of the textile industry, from
high-cost cotton textiles to the durable and versatile synthetic fibres, the
pattern of consumption of these dyes is also going through rapid changes.
Now a days, Polyesters account for a major part of dye consumption.
Accordingly, disperse dyes, that is used in Polyesters, are also projected
to grow at a faster rate.
Though classification of all the commercial textile dyes
by their generic name and chemical constitution. Has been done by the Color
Index (C.I.), a jounal published by the Society of Dyers and Colourists
(United Kingdom) in association with the American Association of Textile
Chemists and Colorists (AATC). However If we take general dye chemistry as
one of the basis for classification, textile dyestuffs can be grouped into
the following categories for an easier understanding.
For convenience all the above dyes can be clubbed together into three
categories namely:
A fair impression of the importance of textile dyes can
be understood from looking at the market segments, which is illustrated
below:
Types
of Textile Dyes 
;){kind=link}