Key Technical Specifications:
Color Index: PB29 (77007)
Chemical composition: Sodium-aluminum silicate containing sulfur (Na₆₋₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄S₂₋₄)
Lightfastness: Excellent (grade 8 out of 8 on the blue wool standard scale*). The pigment is completely resistant to UV rays and retains its intensity for centuries.
Alkali resistance: Fully resistant to lime, cement, and strongly alkaline environments.
Sensitivity to acids: An important detail! The pigment is sensitive to acids (even weak acid rain or acidic conditions in certain environments can cause discoloration and the release of hydrogen sulfide). It is not recommended for highly aggressive exterior coatings in industrial areas.
Dispersibility: It exhibits good hydrophilic properties. It mixes and wets with water and water-soluble media significantly more easily than organic blue pigments, without requiring excessive amounts of wetting agents.
Ultramarine is compatible with most binding agents, provided they are not acidic:
Painting (Oil, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor): One of the most important pigments for depicting a deep sky, shadows, and atmosphere. Due to its translucency, it is valuable for glazes and veils. When applied in a thin layer, it allows light to pass through, creating an optical effect.
Color Mixing: Thanks to its natural violet undertone, PB29 is the best choice for mixing with red pigments (such as carmine or magenta) to produce pure, saturated violet and lilac tones. When mixed with yellow, however, it produces duller, olive-green shades (unlike PB15).
Construction, Mosaics, and Frescoes: Historically, this has been the primary blue pigment used in fresco painting (painting on wet lime plaster) due to its excellent alkali resistance. Suitable for coloring interior plaster, gypsum, cement, and grout.
Epoxy resins: Due to their medium opacity, they allow you to achieve a beautiful “aquamarine” or deep ocean effect in transparent layers of resin.
Comparison with Phthalocyanine Blue (PB15):
Nuance: Ultramarine (PB29) is a “warm” blue with a violet tint, while phthalocyanine blue is a “cool” blue with a greenish (cyan) undertone.
Opacity: PB29 is less opaque and more translucent than the intense PB15, making it easier to control when creating subtle transitions and shading.
*Note regarding lightfastness: The Blue Wool Scale is the international laboratory standard for measuring the lightfastness of dyes. It consists of 8 grades, with Grade 1 indicating minimal resistance and Grade 8 indicating maximum resistance to UV rays and complete protection against fading over time.







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