InstantColor Stains for the Stoneware Industry - Ferro

Technical Information
FK05
InstantColor ® for the Stoneware Industry
A New Era in Ceramic Stains
The Performance Pigments and Colors division
of Ferro develops, produces, and markets
pigments, special glasses, glazes, and special
coating materials.
In the ceramic industry, we are world famous for
our innovative, high-quality colouring products.
Our most important goal is to maintain a high
level of product quality and to maximize
customer satisfaction. To ensure this, we
emphasize dialogue and partnership with our
customers, focusing on the challenges of their
markets and on their suggestions and
requirements, as well as on our mutual desire to
protect the environment. As a result, we are
always ready with the most creative and
ambitious new products our customer need.
Ongoing research and development is the basis
of the high quality of our stains, as we continually
improve not only their composition, but also our
production technology and test methods.
InstantColor ® : Reliable, Ready-to-use
Colours
Optimal colour, chroma, and brilliance – all this
from a ceramic stain that is so easy to use.
Ordinary glaze stains must be ground in a ball
mill before mixing. InstantColor ® stains consist of
uniformly minute particles that are dissolved
instantly in the glaze slurry. Extremely fine grains
mean far easier dispersibility and more uniform
coverage, less production time, and less waste.
The InstantColor ® stoneware line is a range of
breakthrough products that give the stoneware
industry the tools it needs to create fashionable
fixtures fast and reliably.
Performance Pigments and Colors
Innovative, powerful colours can be created from
the basic range, while pastel tones can be easily
matched.
Quality Controls Ensure Stains Meet
Stoneware Requirements
Stains for the stoneware industry must meet
specific requirements. Usually they are fired
several hours at a temperature > 1200 °C, and
must remain true, constant, and specific in
colour.
It is also advantageous if they are capable of
being fired a second time at high temperature
without deterioration of colour and surface. This
enables a repair or decorating firing for bigger
stoneware objects.

page 2/6 FK05 11/12
We ensure that our products meet these
requirements by putting them through rigorous
quality checks. All stains are tested at 1250 °C
for 13 hours. They are also checked for shade
variation, dispersibility, and fineness. Every
batch is compared with a colour master, and
tested for grain size and sieve residue.
99.9 % of InstantColor ® particles (with exception
of inclusion pigments) are guaranteed to be
smaller than 32 μm. In every case you can
expect uniformly coloured glazes, with no
agglomerates to cause ugly spots after firing.
The detailed test conditions for all our products
are specified in the corresponding data sheets,
which we will gladly send to you on request.
The Advantages of the InstantColor ® Series
Brilliant Colours:
The 16 basic shades are pure, strikingly bright
colours. Deep intensity is combined with a
brilliant finish.
Miscibility:
An infinite number of colours can be prepared
from the basic range. Colours can be easily
adjusted right in the barrel.
Extremely Fine, Uniform Particles:
99,9 % of InstantColor ® grains are smaller than
32 μm.
Easy Dispersibility:
Readily dispersed in standard slurries,
InstantColor ® stains offer flexible handling.
Environmental Compatibility:
All InstantColor ® Stoneware pigments are lead
free and consequently particularly suitable for
lead free glazes.
Stains that use cadmium to achieve brilliant
reds, oranges, and yellows encapsulate the
colour crystals in zirconium silicate, creating
totally inert inclusion pigments.
Flawless Appearance:
InstantColor ® brings a more uniform, flawless
surface to opaque glazes.
Flexible Production:
Small batches are a snap. Switching from one
colour to another is so easy, it makes just-in-time
production a reality. No mills to clean, no colour
contamination, and no waste.
Cost-Effectiveness:
Requiring no capital investment, no mill clean-up
time, less water for disposal, and providing highefficiency
intense colours with minimal waste,
the InstantColor ® range is extremely costeffective
to use.
Help When You Need It:
The product without the service is only half of
what you need. We offer the whole package. Our
highly trained development teams, production
and engineering staff are backed up by customer
service technicians ready to listen to your
concerns. For further information please call our
technical service department.

Table 1: InstantColor ® stoneware stains composition, crystal structure and firing conditions
FK05 11/12 page 3/6
Pigment System Colour Shade
Crystal
Structure
Tmax/°C
Sieve Residue
(>32 μm)
Firing
Conditions
219 946 Co-Cr-Al Chrome Green Spinel 1400

page 4/6 FK05 11/12
Fig. 1: InstantColor ® colour samples in transparent glaze A*
219 946 Chrome Green 229 942 Turquoise Blue 229 944 Cobalt Blue 229 946 Cobalt Blue
239 942 Brilliant Orange 239 944 Havanna 239 946 Intense Yellow 239 947 Yellow
249 942 Black 259 943 Neutral Grey 259 969 Zircon Grey 269 946 Biscuit
269 952 Wood Brown 279 941 Rose 279 944 Intense Red 279 946 Coral
* Quantities of colour addition for this glaze is listed in table 2.
While every attempt has been made to reproduce colours exactly, the samples printed here may differ slightly from the finished
ceramic products.
Each InstantColor ® stain must be used according to the parameters stipulated on its accompanying technical data sheet. Please
refer to these sheets for full information.

Fig. 2: InstantColor ® colour samples in opaque glazes B, C or D*
FK05 11/12 page 5/6
219 946 Chrome Green 229 942 Turquoise Blue 229 944 Cobalt Blue 229 946 Cobalt Blue
239 942 Brilliant Orange 239 944 Havanna 239 946 Intense Yellow 239 947 Yellow
249 942 Black 259 943 Neutral Grey 259 969 Zircon Grey 269 946 Biscuit
269 952 Wood Brown 279 941 Rose 279 944 Intense Red 279 946 Coral
* Quantities of colour addition for this glaze is listed in table 2.
While every attempt has been made to reproduce colours exactly, the samples printed here may differ slightly from the finished
ceramic products.
Each InstantColor ® stain must be used according to the parameters stipulated on its accompanying technical data sheet. Please
refer to these sheets for full information.

page 6/6 FK19 11/12
The information and statements contained herein are provided free of charge. They are believed to be accurate at time of
publication, but Ferro makes no warranty with respect thereto, including but not limited to any results to be obtained or the
infringement of any proprietary rights. Use or application of such information or statements is at user’s sole discretion, without any
liability on Ferro´s part. Nothing herein shall be construed as a license of or recommendation for use that infringes upon any
proprietary rights. All sales are subject to Ferro´s General Conditions of Sale and Delivery.
PPCISFK0511/12D
Ferro GmbH Performance Pigments and Colors Gutleutstr. 215 60327 Frankfurt/M.
Tel. ++49/(0)69/27116-432Fax ++49/(0)69/27116-243e-mail: pigments@ferro.com