COMMERCIAL CATEGORY · EFFECT MATERIALS
Effect pigments & specialty finishes
Effect pigments are platelets, not particles. Their appearance depends on orientation in the film, so the same pigment can look entirely different depending on application technique and the coating it sits in. We supply and source effect materials for coating manufacturers, refinish operations and product manufacturers.
Four effect mechanisms
Knowing which mechanism you need is more useful than naming a colour, because it determines the base coat, the number of layers and the achievable appearance.
| MECHANISM | PIGMENT TYPE | VISUAL RESULT | TYPICAL USE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metallic reflection | Aluminium flake | Directional sparkle; brightness varies with flake size and orientation | Automotive basecoats, industrial finishes |
| Pearl lustre | Mica or synthetic substrate with metal oxide layer | Soft depth and lustre rather than hard sparkle | Automotive pearls, cosmetics-adjacent finishes |
| Thin-film interference | Coated platelets of controlled layer thickness | Colour changes with viewing angle (colour travel) | Colour-shift finishes, security and design applications |
| Transparent layering | Transparent toner over reflective base | Great apparent depth; colour builds with each pass | Candy automotive systems, show finishes |
MECHANISM DESCRIPTIONS ARE GENERAL COATINGS TECHNOLOGY. PRODUCT-SPECIFIC VALUES COME FROM THE MANUFACTURER’S TDS.