Do you know what kinds of aluminum pigments there are? When aluminum pigments are mentioned, many people immediately think of paints used in art—however, aluminum pigments aren’t actually the traditional painting pigments we’re familiar with; instead, they’re an industrial raw material. Yet, with the growth of industries like plastics and coatings, more and more people have started learning about aluminum silver paste and aluminum powder. This has led some to wonder: Are aluminum silver paste and aluminum powder considered aluminum pigments after all? Let’s have Xuyang’s editor provide a brief introduction on this topic.
Do you know what kinds of aluminum pigments there are? According to what our editor has learned, aluminum pigments mainly come in three major categories: aluminum silver paste, aluminum silver powder, and spherical aluminum powder. Now, let Xuyang's editor walk you through the details.
1. Aluminum Silver Paste
Aluminum silver paste, also known as aluminum powder paste or simply silver paste, is primarily composed of snowflake-shaped aluminum particles and petroleum-based solvents, typically appearing in a paste-like consistency. The distinguishing features of high-quality aluminum silver paste include: smooth, even surfaces on the aluminum flakes, a narrow and uniform particle size distribution, and regular, well-defined shapes—qualities that give it exceptional light-reflecting ability and a brilliant metallic sheen. In everyday life, one can easily identify superior aluminum silver paste by observing its "angle-dependent color-shifting effect." When this type of paste is mixed with transparent, colored pigments, it triggers a unique reaction in the resulting coating film, creating striking decorative effects that clearly indicate its quality. Generally speaking, the more visually stunning and elegant the finish, the higher the quality of the aluminum silver paste used.
2. Aluminum Silver Powder
Aluminum silver powder is commonly referred to simply as "silver powder," though it actually consists of flake-shaped aluminum particles—hence the colloquial terms "aluminum silver powder" or "silver powder." Chemically, it primarily contains aluminum, not silver. This specialized aluminum silver powder, widely used in powder coatings, inks, and paints, is composed of smooth, glossy aluminum flakes that exhibit excellent shear resistance, weatherability, and chemical stability against acids and alkalis. Notably, because it produces zero VOC emissions, it has found extensive applications in industries such as furniture, wood products, and cabinet manufacturing.
3. Spherical Aluminum Powder
Spherical aluminum powder gets its name primarily from its silvery-white metallic luster. Aluminum is a highly reactive metal; however, in dry air, it instantly forms a dense oxide film about 50 micrometers thick on its surface, effectively preventing further oxidation. Aluminum powder is an essential and widely used industrial raw material in modern industry, with applications spanning across sectors such as refractory materials, pigment coatings, ceramic alloys, and chemical metallurgy. Depending on the production process, aluminum powder typically appears either droplet-shaped or irregular under an electron microscope. Its purity generally ranges between 98% and 99.9%, while its reactivity usually falls within the 96% to 99% range. Both aluminum purity and active aluminum content are the two most critical indicators for assessing the quality of this raw material.
That’s all for the information we’ve shared with you today on "Do You Know What Types of Aluminum Pigments Are Available?" We hope it was helpful. Stay tuned for more updates on aluminum silver paste—feel free to keep following us if you enjoy our content!
