How to Dye with Madder Root Powder (Step-by-Step Guide)

This step-by-step guide shows you how to dye wool, silk, cotton and linen with madder root powder (Rubia tinctorum) to get reds, pinks, oranges and purples. For background on the plant and its history, read everything to know about madder.

What you need

• Madder root powder: 50–100% of the dry weight of your fiber (WOF). 100 g of madder for 100 g of fiber gives strong reds.
• Scoured and mordanted fiber or fabric
• A stainless steel or enamel pot used only for dyeing, and a thermometer
• Optional: calcium carbonate (chalk) if your water is soft, and citric acid or vinegar for orange shades

Step 1: Scour and mordant the fiber

Scour your fiber first so the dye takes evenly. Then mordant it: alum and cream of tartar for wool and silk, or a tannin followed by alum for cotton and linen. Our guides explain each step: how to prepare fabric for natural dyeing, mordanting wool and silk and mordanting cotton and linen.

Step 2: Prepare the dye bath

Put the madder powder in the pot and cover it with hot tap water. Use enough water for the fiber to move freely, so the color takes evenly. Heat the bath to 60–70 °C (140–160 °F) and hold it there for one hour.

Step 3: Dye the fiber

Add your wet fiber and keep the bath at 60–70 °C (140–160 °F) for another hour. Do not let it get hotter: above about 70 °C, madder gives browner, duller colors. Then turn off the heat and let the fiber cool in the bath for several hours or overnight, stirring now and then. If the color is not deep enough, heat and cool the bath again.

Step 4: Rinse and wash

Rinse the fiber until the water runs clear, then wash it with a pH-neutral soap. Madder is very pH sensitive: alkaline water can shift the color toward pink.

Using the dye bath again

A madder bath usually has enough color left for a second, and sometimes a third, batch of fiber. Each batch will be paler than the last: these exhaust baths are perfect for soft pinks and peaches. Simply reheat the bath and add more mordanted fiber.

How to change the color

• Orange and yellow: after dyeing, dip the fiber in water with a little citric acid or vinegar. You can also add citric acid to a spent bath and heat new fiber in it for 30 minutes.
• Pink: a mildly alkaline rinse shifts madder toward pink.
• Purple and mauve: mordant the fiber with iron (ferrous sulfate) before dyeing, and dye it at the same 60–70 °C. To avoid iron in your red bath, take out a portion of the dye bath and dye iron-mordanted fiber in it separately. A short iron dip after dyeing will also "sadden" (darken) the color. See how to dye purples and mauves with madder.

Frequently asked questions

Why are my madder reds brown or dull?

The bath was probably too hot. Keep madder below 70 °C (160 °F). Soft water can also give weaker reds; a pinch of calcium carbonate helps.

How much madder do I need?

Use 50–100% WOF of root powder for medium to deep reds. For the same color with less material, try madder extract at 5–10% WOF.

Can I dye cotton with madder?

Yes, but cotton needs a tannin and alum mordant first. Our madder dye kit includes everything you need.

Video tutorial

Natural dyer BillyNou shows the madder dyeing process in this video.

Related: Shop natural red dyes · How to make madder extract · Alum mordant guide