Super black
A surface treatment that absorbs nearly all visible light
No single value: Super black is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, black.
Super black is a coating developed at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK that absorbs about 99.6% of visible light at normal angles. It is used in specialist optical instruments to reduce reflections, outperforming standard black paints in light absorption.
- Absorbs about 99.6% of visible light at normal angles
- Developed at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK
- Made by chemically etching a nickel-phosphorus alloy
- Used to reduce reflections in optical instruments
- Less effective at blocking infrared light
What colour is Super black?
Super black is a special coating designed to absorb almost all visible light that hits it. Where regular black paint absorbs most light, super black takes this further, letting almost no light bounce back. This makes it look extremely dark, even compared to other blacks. Its main use is to stop unwanted reflections in sensitive optical equipment.
Where does Super black come from?
Super black was developed at the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom. The aim was to create a surface that could absorb more light than conventional black paints, which absorb about 97.5%. Super black achieves about 99.6% absorption at normal angles, and even higher at steeper angles.
How is Super black made?
The coating is made by chemically etching a nickel-phosphorus alloy. This process changes the surface so it traps and absorbs visible light very efficiently. However, because it is a thin surface treatment, it does not block infrared light as effectively, letting more of it pass through at longer wavelengths.
Where Super black is used
Super black is mainly used in specialist optical instruments, where reducing stray reflections is important. This can include scientific equipment, cameras, and telescopes. Its ability to absorb so much light makes it valuable in settings where even small reflections can interfere with measurements or images.
Black around the world
What the black family means from country to country.
After Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria wore black for the rest of her life. Victorian widows were expected to wear full black for at least a year.
Mourning and deathGriefSource: MourningThe black eagle gives the country its own name for itself: Shqiperia is commonly read as the land of the eagles.
Politics and protestPrideSource: AlbaniaBlack and yellow were the colours of the Habsburg monarchy. They come from the black double-headed eagle on a gold ground used by the Holy Roman Emperors.
Royalty and powerSource: Flag of the Habsburg monarchyThe black upper half of the Aboriginal flag stands for the Aboriginal people of Australia.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Australian Aboriginal flagOn 21 February, Language Martyrs' Day, people wear black badges and black and white clothes and walk barefoot to the Shaheed Minar to honour those killed in 1952.
Mourning and deathPolitics and protestGriefSource: Bengali language movementThe black, yellow and red of the flag come from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant: a gold lion with red claws and tongue on black. They were raised in the 1830 revolution.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of BelgiumShades and relatives of Super black
A newer material called Vantablack, made from carbon nanotubes, has been developed as a competitor. Vantablack absorbs light across a wider range of wavelengths and is now used in similar applications. Nanotube-based super black coatings are also available commercially.
Questions people ask about Super black
What colour is super black?
Super black is a coating that appears extremely dark because it absorbs nearly all visible light, making it look much darker than standard black paints.
Where does the name 'super black' come from?
The name refers to its ability to absorb much more light than ordinary black paints, making it 'super' in terms of darkness.
Who developed super black?
Super black was developed at the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom.
What is super black made from?
It is made by chemically etching a nickel-phosphorus alloy to create a surface that traps visible light.
What is super black used for?
It is mainly used in specialist optical instruments to reduce unwanted reflections and improve accuracy.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Super black", 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 black family
All of black
#000000
Black
The colour seen when no visible light is present or all light is absorbedBasic colour
Black
Vantablack
A super-black coating made from carbon nanotubes that absorbs nearly all visible lightPigment
#004040
Rich black
A deep black in print made by layering coloured inks under blackNamed shade
Black
Brilliant Black BN
A synthetic black dye used in foods and decorations, known as E151 in EuropeDye 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States +2
Black
India ink
A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +1
Black
Kohl賰購丨賿賱
A dark eye cosmetic made from minerals like galena and stibniteTraditional colour 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5
Black
Carbon black
A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment
Black
Bone char
A deep black pigment and filter made by charring animal bonesPigment
More colours tied to the United Kingdom
The colours of the United Kingdom
#00FF00
Green
The colour between cyan and yellow, seen widely in plants and natureBasic colour 路 馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland +1
#800080
Purple
A cool colour between red and blue, long linked with royalty and rarityBasic colour 路 馃嚤馃嚙 Lebanon +5
White
Zinc oxide
A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2
Blue
Woad
A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3