depending upon how "different tartan" is defined, it has been estimated that there are about 3,500 to 7,000 different tartans, with around 150 new designs being created every year. with four ways of presenting the hues in the tartan — "modern", "ancient", "weathered", and "muted" colours — there are thus about 14,000 recognised tartan variations from which to choose. the 7,000 figure above includes many of these variations counted as though they were different tartans.