Benzimidazolone pigments
A group of strong, lightfast yellow, orange, and red synthetic pigments
No single value: Benzimidazolone pigments is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, yellow.
Benzimidazolone pigments are a family of synthetic azo pigments known for their outstanding resistance to light, weather, and chemicals. Developed in the late 20th century, these pigments produce shades from greenish yellow to deep bordeaux and are valued for their durability in paints, inks, plastics, and artists’ materials.
- Patented in 1960 and used as pigments since the late 1970s
- Known for exceptional resistance to light and weather
- Covers yellow, orange, red, and bordeaux shades
- Used in artists’ paints, inks, and demanding industrial coatings
What colour is Benzimidazolone pigments?
Benzimidazolone pigments are synthetic colours that range from yellow through orange to red and bordeaux. They stand out for their ability to keep their colour even when exposed to strong light, weather, or chemicals. These pigments are used when lasting, vivid colour is needed, and are more durable than many other organic pigments.
Where does Benzimidazolone pigments come from?
The name comes from the benzimidazolone group, a chemical structure found in these pigments. They were first created and patented by the company Hoechst in 1960, and started to be used as pigments in the late 1970s. The group includes about 20 different pigments, each with slight changes in their chemical structure to create a range of shades.
How is Benzimidazolone pigments made?
Benzimidazolone pigments are made by joining diazotized aromatic amines with a benzimidazolone-containing compound. The exact shade depends on which chemicals are used: certain ingredients create yellow pigments, while others produce reds. All share a core structure, but small changes in the chemical side groups shift the colour.
Where Benzimidazolone pigments is used
These pigments are chosen for jobs where colour must last, such as in artists’ paints, high-end printing inks, plastics, and specialist paints. Their resistance to fading and chemicals makes them suitable for demanding uses, including coatings for vehicles and industrial surfaces.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
The yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagAt the gaye holud, held a day or two before a wedding, relatives rub turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Guests dress in yellow and orange.
Weddings and marriageFestival and celebrationJoySource: Gaye holudOn Pohela Falgun, the first day of spring, young women wear yellow and orange saris, a shade called basanti, with flowers in their hair.
Festival and celebrationNature and renewalJoySource: Pohela FalgunThe Flemish flag is a black lion on yellow, and the Walloon flag a red cockerel on yellow. The language communities are often shown by these colours.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of FlandersThe flag is yellow, the colour of the Sultan. By custom, ordinary people did not wear yellow in the ruler's presence.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: Flag of BruneiThe national football team plays in a yellow shirt with green trim, the canarinho. It was chosen in a newspaper contest after the 1950 World Cup final was lost in white.
Festival and celebrationPrideJoySource: Brazil national football teamShades and relatives of Benzimidazolone pigments
Within this group, the yellow pigments can look greenish or lean towards orange, while the red series covers everything from yellowish red to deep bordeaux. Well-known examples include Pigment Yellow 151, Pigment Yellow 154, and Pigment Orange 36. There are also violet and brown shades, though these are less common.
Questions people ask about Benzimidazolone pigments
What colour are benzimidazolone pigments?
They range from greenish yellow through orange and red to deep bordeaux, depending on their chemical structure.
Where does the name benzimidazolone come from?
The name refers to the benzimidazolone group, a part of the chemical structure found in all pigments of this type.
What are benzimidazolone pigments used for?
They are used in artists’ paints, printing inks, plastics, and coatings where lasting, vivid colour is needed.
What makes these pigments different from other azo pigments?
They are much more resistant to light, weather, and chemicals than most other organic pigments.
When were benzimidazolone pigments first made?
They were patented in 1960 and started to be used as pigments in the late 1970s.
Good reading and sources
- Benzimidazolone pigments on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Benzimidazolone pigments", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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