The advances in concrete design lead to new architectonic and structural applications, that are added to the traditional ones. Among them can be remarked the incorporation of colour to concrete and other portland cement based materials; the use of coloured concrete in precast elements, floors and ornaments allows to obtain a greater integration of the constructions with surrounding environment. Every time the diversity of component materials for concrete preparation increases since there is a great variety of cements, chemical admixtures and mineral additions. Among the materials there also can appear pigments of diverse nature that allow preparing concretes with different colours offering a greater esthetical integration with the surrounding environment. The LEMIT has initiated in 2006 a project of collaboration with the National Technological University, Faculty Regional Córdoba, oriented to the design and application of Coloured Self Compacting Concrete, a material that brings new alternatives and possibilities of use for the industry of the construction. This article presents the methodology used for the measurement of the colour in portland cement based materials, that is based on CIELAB system. There are included some of the results obtained on pastes, mortars and concretes prepared with pigments of different type and colour combined with grey and white cement.