Also known as European chestnut, Spanish chestnut.

This chestnut extract is produced in Italy from Castanea sativa, also known as the sweet chestnut. It should not be confused with horse chestnut bark, which yields more orange hues and contains less tannin.

Sweet chestnut trees can grow up to 30 meters and are cultivated in traditional Mediterranean orchards for their nuts and timber. The extract is a sustainable by-product made from leftover bark. Chestnut groves are also important for honey production, with beehives placed among the flowering trees to benefit from their pollen and nectar.

Chestnut extract is valued both as a dye and as a tannin source. It produces warm browns, reds, or golden shades depending on the mordant and can also serve as a tannin base for creating greys and blacks when combined with iron.

Active dye components: hydrolysable tannins (ellagitannins, castalagin, vescalagin)
Tannin content: 75–77%
CI: no Natural Dye number assigned

Shading Tips

• Alum: golden brown to soft reddish tones
• No mordant: lighter brown shades
• Iron (ferrous sulfate): strong greys and black tones
• Copper: deeper warm browns
• Excellent tannin base for cellulose fibers prior to mordanting