Organic pigments: Characteristics
Why heat stability decides which pigment goes into plastic
What this tab covers The physical and chemical properties that set its grade, price and uses, with the commercial grades and the standards that define them.Commercial value depends on colour strength, shade and transparency, light and weather fastness, heat stability in plastics, migration resistance, dispersibility, and purity. Crystal form and particle size, set in finishing, change these properties for the same molecule.
Properties that matter commercially
| Property | Value / specification | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat stability | about 200 C for many azo pigments; 280-300 C for phthalocyanines and DPPs (indicative) | plastics processing | indicative |
| Lightfastness | blue wool 7-8 for high-performance pigments (indicative) | automotive and exterior durability | indicative |
| Particle size | about 50-500 nm (indicative) | transparency, strength and gloss | indicative |
| Crystal form | alpha (red-shade) vs beta (green-shade) CPC blue 15:1-15:4 (indicative) | shade and stability in solvents | indicative |
Commercial grades
- Pigment Blue 15 series (CPC)
- Pigment Green 7 and 36
- Diarylide yellows (PY 12, 13, 83)
- Lithol rubine red (PR 57:1)
- Naphthol reds
- Quinacridones (PV 19, PR 122)
- DPP reds (PR 254)
- Benzimidazolones
- Isoindolinones
- Perylenes
- Effect and pearl pigments
- Cosmetic lakes