Lac
In its own language: लाक्षा
A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellac
No single value: Lac is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, red.
Lac is a natural resin produced by certain insects, mainly Kerria lacca, found on trees in South and Southeast Asia. This resin is processed into products like dye, varnish, and shellac, and has been used for centuries in India, China, and neighbouring regions for colouring textiles, finishing wood, and making lacquerware.
- Lac is made by insects on trees in India, Thailand, and China.
- The resin is processed into dye, varnish, and shellac.
- Lac dye has coloured textiles and wood for centuries.
- The Sanskrit word 'lākshā' refers to both the insect and the resin.
- India remains a leading producer of lac.
What colour is Lac?
Lac is a red resin that comes from the secretions of small insects living on certain trees. The resin forms a coating on twigs and branches, which is then collected and processed. Its colour ranges from deep red to scarlet, and it stands out for its use as both a dye and a varnish. Unlike plant-based dyes, lac is produced by insects and has a long history in several Asian countries.
Where does Lac come from?
The name 'lac' comes from the Sanskrit word 'lākshā', meaning one hundred thousand, a reference to the large numbers of insects involved in its production. Ancient Indian texts mention lac as both a substance and a dye, and it was traded to Europe along with woods from the East. The resin and its dye have been valued for centuries in India, China, and neighbouring regions.
How is Lac made?
Lac is harvested by cutting branches covered in the resinous coating left by the insects. The raw material, called sticklac, is crushed and washed to remove impurities, producing seedlac. Further processing by heating or dissolving creates shellac. The dye is obtained by keeping the insects in the resin, as the colour comes from them rather than the resin itself.
Where Lac is used
Lac dye has been used since ancient times to colour wool, silk, and leather, and as a finish for wood and lacquerware. It is also found in cosmetics and as a colouring in foods like drinks, jams, and sweets. In India, it was once used for sealing wax, and in the United States, as a varnish for musical instruments and gun stocks.
Red around the world
What the red family means from country to country.
The flag is a red disc on a green field. The red is read both as the sun rising over Bengal and as the blood of those who died in the 1971 Liberation War.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of BangladeshOn Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year in April, women wear white saris with red borders and men wear red and white panjabis for the morning processions.
Festival and celebrationJoySource: Pohela BoishakhA Bengali Muslim bride usually marries in a red sari, often a Benarasi or a Jamdani, with gold jewellery.
Weddings and marriageLoveSource: Bengali Muslim weddingRed stands for good fortune and happiness. Brides traditionally wear it, doors are hung with red couplets at New Year, and gifts of money come in red envelopes.
Luck and prosperityFestival and celebrationWeddings and marriageJoySource: Color in Chinese cultureThe national flag is red with five yellow stars. The red stands for the Communist revolution, and the same red runs through party banners and slogans.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of ChinaMany Hindu brides marry in a red sari or lehenga. In much of north India a married woman wears sindoor, a red powder, along the parting of her hair.
Weddings and marriageLuck and prosperityJoyLoveSource: SindoorShades and relatives of Lac
There are several related species of lac insects, such as Kerria lacca and Paratachardina decorella, which can produce slightly different resins. Lac is sometimes confused with other insect dyes like carmine, but it is distinct in its source and processing. The resin can be processed into products like shellac and lake pigments.
Questions people ask about Lac
What colour is lac?
Lac is a red resin, with shades ranging from deep red to scarlet, used as a dye and varnish.
Where does the name 'lac' come from?
The word 'lac' is from Sanskrit 'lākshā', meaning one hundred thousand, referring to the insects that produce it.
How is lac produced?
Lac is made by insects that secrete resin on tree branches. The resin is collected, cleaned, and processed into products like dye and shellac.
What is lac used for?
Lac is used to dye textiles, finish wood, make lacquerware, and colour foods and cosmetics.
Which countries produce lac?
India is the main producer, with Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Mexico also harvesting lac.
Good reading and sources
- Lac (resin) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Lac (resin)", 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.
More of the red family
All of red
Red
Cinnabar
A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature · 🇪🇸 Spain +5
Red
Realgar
An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5
#E25822
Scarlet
A bright red with a touch of orange, long tied to power, sacrifice and sinNamed shade · 🇹🇷 Turkey +4
Red
Carmine
A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment · 🇫🇷 France +2
#E34234
Vermilion
A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5
Red
Rubia
A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5
#E32636
Alizarin
A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye · 🇹🇷 Turkey +1
#801818
Falu redfalu rödfärg
A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment · 🇸🇪 Sweden +2
More colours tied to India
The colours of India
Yellow
Turmeric
A golden yellow dye and spice from the rhizome of a tropical plantColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5
#6A5DFF
Indigo
A deep blue named for the dye once exported from IndiaNamed shade · 🇮🇳 India +5
Brown
Terracotta
A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +4
White
Zinc oxide
A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment · 🇮🇳 India +2