In many cases, testing a dye for color strength and tint by means of a dyeing test is replaced by a simple analysis by reduction with titanium trichloride (TiCl3) to determine the content of reducible substance present. This elegant method is usable for homogeneous products, but it fails if the dye being tested is a mixture of isomers, or if it contains impurities which also consume the reducing agent.
For these reasons, this method of analysis is not widely used in the older dye plants which are equipped with proper dyeing standards. It has, however, attained a certain popularity in smaller plants in England and America because it is much easier to carry out a simple titration than to conduct the delicate, but conclusive, dyeing test. The evaluation of a dyeing test is always dependent on individual factors and can only be done by trained, absolutely reliable persons.