Cutch Extract is produced by soaking the wood of the Acacia Catechu tree in hot water until a syrupy liquid emerges. It is then dries and ground into a fine powder. It ca be found throughout India, Burma, Indonesia and Peru. This extract is easily soluble in water.

• Dye Amount: 20-50% WOF for a medium depth of shade
• Color: brown, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove
• Light fastness: Excellent
• Wash fastness: Excelent

• Mordant
• Alum mordant at 15% WOF for protein fibers
• Alum mordant at 15% WOF for cellulose fibers
• Tannin mordant is not required. 

• Dyeing
• Dissolve the powdered cutch in boiling water and add it to dye bath.
• Deeper colors can be achieved by first soaking the cutch extract in a weak mixture of caustic soda.
• Add 1 tsp lye or sodium hydroxide to 1 gallon of water. Soak for 1 hour.
• Add more water and neutralize with acetic acid or vinegar to pH7. Add this neutral solution to the dye bath.
• Add fibers to the dye bath and simmer at low temperature for 2 hours.
• Cutch does not easily exhaust and dyebaths can be used multiple times for lighter shades.

• Variations
• Alum mordant yields toffee browns.
• The addition of iron at 2-4% WOF yields chocolate browns
• Soda ash rinse will redden the cutch color.
• Addition of 2% WOF hydrogen peroxide during the final 15 minutes of dyeing will darken cutch considerably.
• Allowing the fiber to cool down and sit in the dye bath overnight will give the darkest shades.