any of a large class of synthetic organic dyes that contain nitrogen as the azo group −N=N− as part of their molecular structures; more than half the commercial dyes belong to this class. Depending on other chemical features, these dyes fall into several categories defined by the fibres for which they have affinity or by the methods by which they are applied.

The oldest methods for applying azo dyes to cotton involved successive treatments with solutions of two chemical components that react to form the dye within the fibre or on its surface. Dyes applied in this way are called developed dyes; para red and primuline red are members of this group that were introduced in the 1880s.

The most easily applied azo dyes are those designated as direct (direct dye): they contain chemical substituents that make them soluble in water, and they are absorbed from solution by cotton. The first direct dye was Congo red, discovered in 1884; it has been largely replaced by dyes with superior resistance to acids and to fading.

The acid azo dyes possess affinity for wool and silk and are applied by essentially the same procedure used for the direct class. Tartrazine is a yellow acid azo dye discovered in 1884 and still in common use.

Other azo dyes contain chemical groups that bind metal ions. Among numerous metal salts used with these dyes, chromium and copper are most common; often, the metal ion also unites with the fibre, improving the resistance of the dye to washing. The presence of the metal sometimes produces important changes in shade.

A few of the anthraquinone vat dyes and some disperse dyes are also azo compounds; the latter are not water-soluble but can be suspended in water by soap and in that state are adsorbed from the suspension by cellulose acetate fibres.