Titanium yellow
A strong yellow pigment made from titanium, nickel, and antimony oxides
Titanium yellow is a bright yellow pigment made by combining titanium dioxide with small amounts of nickel and antimony oxides. Known for its heat and chemical stability, it is used in plastics, ceramic glazes, and painting, and is considered safe for people and the environment.
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- Made from titanium dioxide, nickel oxide, and antimony trioxide
- Used in plastics, ceramic glazes, and painting
- Very stable at high temperatures and in chemicals
- Classed as physiologically and environmentally harmless
What colour is Titanium yellow?
Titanium yellow is a synthetic yellow pigment with a strong, clear colour. It stands out for its brightness and its ability to withstand high temperatures and chemicals without breaking down. The pigment is a complex mix of titanium dioxide, nickel oxide, and antimony trioxide, forming a solid crystal structure. It is valued in both industrial and artistic settings for its stability and reliability.
Where does Titanium yellow come from?
The name 'titanium yellow' comes from its main ingredient, titanium dioxide, which forms the base of the pigment. The pigment is made by introducing small amounts of nickel and antimony into the titanium dioxide structure. This process creates a yellow colour that is more stable than many natural alternatives. It is classed as a complex inorganic colour pigment, a group known for their durability.
How is Titanium yellow made?
Titanium yellow is produced by heating fine powders of metal oxides, hydroxides, or carbonates together at high temperatures, typically between 650 and 1300 °C. This process, called calcining, causes the materials to react and form a stable, solid pigment. The resulting compound has a rutile crystal lattice, with some titanium ions replaced by nickel and antimony.
Where Titanium yellow is used
This pigment is mainly used to colour plastics and ceramic glazes, where its stability is important. It is also used in art painting and in coatings for cars and industrial metal, where resistance to heat and chemicals is needed. Its bright yellow shade and inert nature make it suitable for demanding applications.
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 Titanium yellow
Titanium yellow is one of several complex inorganic yellow pigments. It is sometimes called by its chemical names, such as CI Pigment Yellow 53. It can be confused with other yellow pigments, but its unique mix of titanium, nickel, and antimony gives it distinct stability and colour strength.
Colours that go with Titanium yellow
Harmonies are worked out from the value #EEE600. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Titanium yellow
What colour is titanium yellow?
Titanium yellow is a bright, strong yellow pigment. It is used where a clear and stable yellow is needed, such as in plastics, ceramics, and art.
What is titanium yellow made from?
It is made by combining titanium dioxide with small amounts of nickel oxide and antimony trioxide. These ingredients are heated together to form a stable pigment.
Where does the name titanium yellow come from?
The name comes from its main ingredient, titanium dioxide, which gives the pigment its yellow colour when mixed with nickel and antimony.
Is titanium yellow safe to use?
Although it contains nickel and antimony, titanium yellow is considered inert and is regarded as harmless to people and the environment.
Where is titanium yellow used?
It is mainly used in plastics, ceramic glazes, art painting, and coatings for cars and industrial metal.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Titanium yellow", 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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