Colored, disposable applicator tubes have been said to lose color to their contents during use. Since they are used to contol the placement of a variety of accessory materials important to clinical dentistry, a selection of restorative materials and solvents was evaluated to determine which had a color-leaching potential. Neither aqueous system nor alcohol, chloroform, eugenol, xylene, or ether caused a loss of color that was clinically significant. Acetone and amyl acetate caused a visibly apparent loss of color and softening of the tube matrix. Methyl methacrylate completely dissolved specimens of celluloid tubes. Unfilled resins containing methyl methacrylate in their liquid catalysts leached sufficient red color form the test specimens to stain the restorative noticeably pink; the composite resins and cements that were evaluated did not.