Talc is a whitish raw material of mineral origin used in the pharmaceutical industry. Talc quality for pharmaceutical uses is regulated by pharmacopoeias, which include several chemical and physicochemical tests. The aim of this study was to relate various color parameters of twenty-one white talcum powders from five countries, to their suitability for pharmaceutical use, following the tests included in the pharmacopoeias of USA (USP XXIII), Japan (Jap.Ph.XII) and Europe (Eur. Ph.II). The tests for loss on ignition 1000 degrees C( USP XXIII), carbonates, iron and magnesium soluble in H2SO4 IN (Eur.hh.II), and loss on drying 500 degrees C (Jap.Ph.XII), showed the best relationship with color parameters. The strength of these relationships allows the tests to be estimated from the color parameters or vice versa using regression models, of which Z(10)-tristimulus value, lightness L* and CIE whiteness index W-10 were the most influential parameters for explaining the models. As an index of suitability of the talc for pharmaceutical use, W-10 proved to be the most efficient of the three color parameters with a limit value of W-10 = 68.00 for USP XXIII.