The Scottish Register of Tartans is the official public record of tartan designs. Here’s a clear guide to what it contains, who runs it, and how to register your own tartan.
The Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT) is an online database that records historic and contemporary tartan designs, preserving their names, technical details, and background notes for public reference.
Why it matters: Because the Register stores the precise threadcount (the “DNA” of a tartan), a design can be reproduced accurately and unambiguously.
The SRT was established by an Act of the Scottish Parliament in 2008 and launched in February 2009. It is administered by National Records of Scotland; the Keeper of the Records of Scotland also serves as Keeper of the SRT, with advice from the Court of the Lord Lyon and industry representatives.
A typical tartan entry includes:
Threadcount = accuracy: The threadcount specifies colour order and the exact number of threads per stripe in warp and weft, ensuring faithful weaving or digital rendering.
Each registered tartan is assigned to one of nine categories to aid search and context:
The non-refundable application fee to register a tartan is £70 (exempt from VAT). Additional services (amendments, duplicate or framed certificates, copies, etc.) carry separate charges.
Registration records and recognises a tartan but does not by itself grant copyright or design-right protection. Intellectual property matters remain under UK law; some entries include usage restrictions set by the owner or clan.
The SRT is free to search and includes both post-2009 registrations and earlier records incorporated from legacy databases. Account holders can also request threadcount details for specific entries.
In April 2025, the Register recorded its 10,000th tartan design—a marker of how active and global tartan creation has become.