COMPOSITION & PERMANENCE
Composition and permanence information is extremely important for any artist who is committed to producing paintings of the highest quality. Winsor & Newton were the first artists' colourmen to publish the composition and permanence of their colours in 1892 and providing this technical information is just as vitally important today as it was over 100 years ago.
There is a wealth of technical data available on all of our product labels, including Artists' Acrylics - see Label Information section. However, you can also refer to our Composition and Permanence tables for a more detailed summary of all of the colours in the Artists' Acrylic range.
To view the Artists' Acrylic composition & permanence table on our main website,
please click here »
Below is a brief explanation of all of the key things that we cover in the composition & permanence tables. There is more detailed information on our main website:
Indicates the code number that is given to each of the colours. This is primarily for ease of reference for retail and catalogue purposes and to assist you in purchasing your materials.
This provides the chemical description of the pigments used in each colour. This is often useful for conservators.
The Series No. of a colour indicates the relative price of the colour and is determined mainly by the cost of the pigment. Series 1 is the least expensive and Series 5 is the most expensive in Artists' Acrylic.
The Winsor & Newton classification of permanence measures not only lightfastness but also film stability of the finished paint and chemical stability.
- AA - Extremely Permanent
- A - Permanent
- B - Moderately Durable
The transparent colours are marked with 
or T, the semi-transparent colours are marked 
or ST. The relatively semiopaque colours are marked with 
or SO and the opaque colours are marked with 
or O. Transparency however is relative and the ratings are provided as a guide only. In addition, any thin film of colour will appear more transparent than a thicker one.
The colour reference on the face of the tube e.g. Burnt Umber
The Colour Index International is the standard compiled and published by both: The Society of Dyers and Colourists and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. The Colour Index classifies pigments by their chemical composition.
This information will allow you to research a specific pigment's characteristics in reference books if you wish. The individual pigments are identified in two ways:
- Colour Index Generic Name - C.I. Name: Each pigment can be universally identified by its Colour Index Generic Name. As an example: Burnt Umber is Pigment Brown 7, abbreviated to PBr7.
- Colour Index Number - C.I. No: Pigments can also be identified by their Colour Index Number. It is considered an additional source of information to the Colour Index Generic Name. An example is Burnt Umber 77491.
The ASTM abbreviation stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials. This organisation has set standards for the performance of art materials including a colour's lightfastness.
