A procedure was developed for fractionating the pigments from chestnut shells into 3 fractions(Fr.1,Fr.2 and Fr.3) according to their solubility.Fr.1 was soluble in alkaline water only;Fr.2 was soluble in alkaline water and the hydrophilic organic solvents;Fr.3 was soluble in the water at any pH and hydrophilic organic solvents.The pigment fractions were analyzed by chemical characterization and ultraviolet-visible spectrometry(UV-Vis),and their stabilities were studied.All the fractions had the similar properties to phenol but not to falconoid and tannin.The UV-Vis spectra showed all three fractions optical absorption were decreased with wavelength.There was no absorption peak,but had a shoulder around 270 nm.The color of the solutions all turned darker with the increase of the pH values.To the heating and ultraviolet,Fr 1 was relatively stable,while Fr.3 was the most sensitive.All the pigment fractions could be bleached by the oxidant,and Fr.1 was least resistance,Fr.2 was the most stable.All the pigment fractions were stable to reductant,sucrose,Na+ and Mg2+,but not instable to Al3+,Ca2+,Fe2+,Fe3+,Cu2+ and Zn2+.The results provided a new,simple and inexpensive method to fractionate pigments from chestnut shells.In food production,a suitable fraction can be selected as a colorant according to specific requirements.Thus,the application of the chestnut shell pigments will be wider in the future.