Raven® and Conductex® Carbon

Blacks for Specialty Applications

FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF CARBON BLACK
A carbon black’s application perfor- POROSITY is indicated by comparing
INFLUENCE OF PROPERTY
mance is determined by its fundamental a carbon black’s external surface area PROPERTY
properties and the level of dispersion predicted by STSA to the total surface ON PERFORMANCE
achieved. The most important physical area value obtained with the BET NSA Particle Size Distribution Smaller Particle Size (Higher Surface Area)
and chemical properties include particle method. Conductive carbon blacks tend
size, porosity, structure, and surface to have a high degree of porosity. • Increases Jetness
chemistry. The level of dispersion in • Increases Tint
any given matrix is strongly influenced SURFACE CHEMISTRY of carbon blacks • Increases UV Protection
by the mixing equipment, formulation generally refers to the oxygen-containing • Increases Electrical Conductivity
groups present on a carbon black’s sur- • Increases Vehicle Demand and Viscosity
(including dispersant selection), and
face. Oxidized surfaces improve pigment • Reduces Dispersibility
physical form.
wetting, dispersion, rheology, and overall Structure – Aggregate Size/ Higher Structure (Increasing Oil Absorption)
Carbon black particle performance in selected systems. In Shape Distribution
showing Paracrystalline PARTICLE SIZE other cases, oxidation increases electri-
microstructure • Reduces Jetness and Tint
is the primary cal resistivity and makes carbon blacks • Improves Dispersibility
influence on color more hydrophilic. The extent of surface • Increases Vehicle Demand and Viscosity
properties. Particle oxidation is measured by determining • Increases Electrical Conductivity
size is measured the quantity of the “volatile” component
Carbon black by electron micros- on the carbon black. High volatile levels
aggregate – the
true primary copy (EM). Mean are associated with low pH. Porosity – Pore Size Higher Porosity (Higher Ratio of NSA/STSA)
unit of carbon
black
particle size is cer- Distribution
tified via statistical PHYSICAL FORM is important in match- • Increases Vehicle Demand and Viscosity
thickness surface area (STSA) correlation ing a carbon black to the equipment by • Increases Electrical Conductivity
according to ASTM D3849-14. Smaller which it is to be dispersed. Powdered • Enables Reduced Loadings in Conductive
particle diameter gives rise to higher carbon blacks are recommended in Applications
surface area and tinting strength. High low-shear dispersers and on three-roll
surface area is usually associated with mills. Beaded carbon blacks are rec-
greater jetness, higher conductivity, ommended for shot mills, ball mills and Surface Chemistry – Surface Higher Surface Functionality
improved weatherability, and higher other high energy equipment. Beading Functionality Distribution (Higher Volatile Content)
viscosity, but requires increased dis- provides lower dusting, bulk handling
persion energy. capabilities, and higher bulk densities, • Improves Vehicle Wetting
• Reduces Viscosity of Liquid Systems

n
while powdered carbon blacks offer
n

STRUCTURE is a measure of the • Lowers Electrical Conductivity

n
improved dispersibility.
three-dimensional fusion of carbon
black particles to form aggregates.
Highly structured carbon blacks pro-
vide higher viscosity, greater electrical Additional Properties:
conductivity and easier dispersion.
Measures of aggregate structure may be • Other Constituents – Sulfur, Ash, Residue, etc.
obtained from shape distributions from • Physical Form – Beads or Powder
EM analysis, oil absorption (OAN) or
void volume analysis.
SPECIALTY CARBON BLACK APPLICATIONS
Specialty blacks are used in a wide variety of appli- COATINGS PLASTICS
cations including coatings, printing inks, plastics, and Coatings may be formulated with an extremely wide Carbon black may be incorporated into thermosets
sealants. The selection of a specific product for an range of products such as Raven 410 for utility fin- or thermoplastics for color, tint, or functional reasons.
application depends on the end-use requirements ishes, Raven 1255 for various medium color industrial Masstone color plastic applications can employ the
as well as processing conditions. coatings, and Raven 5000 Ultra II for high quality, entire available range of carbon black particle sizes.
extremely jet, blue undertone automotive topcoat Selection will depend upon loading, dispersion, and
ULTRA® CARBON BLACKS applications. Specialty blacks primarily used for tint­ cost. The coarser products are excellent choices in
Birla Carbon products are high performance pigments ing have low surface areas and broad particle size applications where blue tone, tinting strength, and
targeted for use in demanding applications. Carbon distributions. Products with these properties provide ease of dispersion are preferred. Conductex blacks
black purity and consistency of performance, always good economics coupled with a desired blue tone provide different degrees of electrical conductivity
important, are now recognized as being critical to and best resistance to flooding and flocculation. for a wide range of plastics requirements. Conductex
continuing quality improvement. Birla Carbon has Raven 14 Powder, an easily dispersed post-treated 7055 Ultra and Conductex K Ultra offer optimum con­
developed products that provide the highest level of carbon black, is the industry standard for blue under- ductivity with minimal contribution to viscosity in
purity available. These products, referred to as Ultra tone and tinting in paints and coatings. applications such as wire and cable, ESD, as well as
carbons, serve as industry benchmarks in various conductive coatings. For applications requiring very
application segments. Ultra products benefit various INKS high jetness such as engineering plastics, Raven 2000,
application systems by providing greater uniformity, Specialty blacks for inks are generally medium to Raven 2350 Ultra, and Raven 2500 Ultra are recom-
increased compatibility, improved dispersion, better coarse in particle size and are used for full color rather mended. For ultraviolet protection, Raven UV Ultra
processing, longer screen life, enhanced color devel- than tinting properties. In liquid ink applications such as and Raven PFEB are industry standards for jacketing,
opment, and reduced scrap. publication and packaging gravure, the Raven 400 and film, and pipe applications.
Raven 500 series products are widely used because
of their rheology, ease of dispersion, and blue tone.
Raven L Ultra is used when the masstone requirements
are higher. Depending on specific requirements, high
quality inks are formulated with products such as
Raven 760 Ultra, Raven 1000, and Raven 1035.

Ultra® is a registered trademark of Columbian Chemicals Co.

GLOBAL SPECIALTY BLACKS PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
D6556 D2414 D3265 2A-700
OAN
NSA STSA Oil Absorption
Raven® and Conductex® Surface Area Surface Area cm3/100g Tinting Volatile Producing
Carbon Blacks m2/g m2/g Beads Powder Strength Content % Country Typical Applications
Raven 5000 Ultra II 1
583 350 95 95 135 10.5 U.S. Automotive topcoat, architectural coatings; piano black
Raven 5000 Ultra 3 1
583 350 95 95 135 10.5 U.S. applications

Raven 35001 375 212 105 105 145 5.0 U.S.

Raven 2500 Ultra 270 206 65 67 147 - U.S.

Industrial and powder coatings; engineering plastics; inkjet ink
Raven 2350 Ultra 195 180 60 62 140 - Korea

Raven 2000 194 168 65 70 144 - U.S.

Raven 1300 Ultra 115 105 95 - 128 - U.S. Fine denier synthetic fibers

Raven 12551 122 119 66 66 135 2.7 U.S. Premium offset ink and specialty coatings

Raven 1250 113 102 55 60 128 - U.S.

Coatings and plastics
Raven 1200 106 104 55 60 128 - U.S.

Raven 1190 Ultra 113 100 57 - 125 - U.S. Inks, coatings, and fiber

Raven 1185 Ultra 1

100 97 - 100 124 2.5 U.S.
Premium offset ink, specialty coatings, and toner
Raven 11801 110 97 - 60 128 2.7 U.S.

Raven 1170 107 101 55 60 124 - U.S. Inks, coatings, and plastics

Raven 1100 Ultra 1

101 95 72 72 120 2.4 U.S.

Raven 1080 Ultra 1

79 77 60 60 109 1.6 U.S.
High quality inks including heatset, sheetfed, UV, and packaging;
Raven 1060 Ultra 1
66 65 50 50 102 1.6 U.S.
coatings
Raven 10401 90 86 100 100 115 2.6 U.S.

Raven 1035 1
91 91 65 65 125 2.4 U.S.

Raven 1020 95 90 58 60 121 - U.S.

Raven 1010 95 91 - 58 126 - Korea

Inks, coatings, and plastics
Raven 1000 92 91 58 63 126 - U.S.

Raven 900 82 81 - 108 102 - Korea

Raven 890 69 68 - 102 97 - U.S. Sealants and coatings

Raven 880 / Raven 880 Ultra 78 76 102 - 102 - Korea / U.S. Geomembrane, film, and molding

Raven 860 Ultra 48 48 48 50 91 - U.S. High quality inks including heatset, sheetfed, and packaging

Raven 850 63 63 - 75 101 - U.S. Coatings, inks, and plastisol

Raven 820 73 71 120 - 100 - Canada Flexographic ink

Raven 790 Ultra 64 64 - 105 95 - U.S. Sealants

Raven 780 Ultra 89 77 58 60 109 - U.S. Toner and specialty inks

Raven 760 Ultra 64 64 48 50 102 - U.S. High quality inks including heatset, sheetfed, and other; coatings

Raven 525 43 42 121 - 55 - China

Raven 520 / Raven 520 Ultra 40 39 121 - 58 - U.S. Plastic color concentrate for film, pipe, and molding

Raven 510 Ultra 38 38 90 - 57 - U.S.

Raven 500 44 44 75 80 69 - U.S.

Raven 475 40 39 60 - 70 - Korea

Raven 450 35 34 63 65 61 - U.S.

Plastic color concentrate for film and molding; blue undertone
Raven 430 Ultra 31 31 75 78 58 - U.S.
and tinting in coatings
Raven 425 29 29 72 75 54 - Korea

Raven 420 28 28 72 75 50 - U.S.

Raven 410 / Raven 410 Ultra 26 26 65 68 47 - U.S.

Raven 415 / Raven 415 Ultra 32 32 65 - 61 - U.S. / Spain News ink and plastic color concentrate

Raven 22 28 27 - 113 44 - U.S. Blue undertone and tinting in coatings; solid carbon
Raven 16 30 29 - 105 46 - U.S. and metallurgical

Raven 141 44 44 - 111 66 1.7 U.S. Blue undertone and tinting in coatings

Raven FC1 115 100 100 - 112 - Korea U.S. FDA 21 CFR 178.3297 indirect food-contact plastics

Raven L / Raven L Ultra 85 85 72 78 110 - Korea / U.S.

Inks, coatings, and plastics
Raven M 78 76 102 - 102 - China

Raven P 155 109 113 - 107 - Italy Conductive and film

Raven P5 Ultra 109 100 112 117 115 - Korea Sealant, pipes, film, and fiber

Raven P125 Ultra 75 70 100 - 90 - Korea

Pipe, film, and fiber
Raven PFEB 107 91 98 - 105 - Hun. / Ita. / Kor.

Raven UV Ultra 124 112 114 - 118 - Korea UV protection, cable jacketing, and fiber

Conductex SC Ultra 205 124 115 115 123 - U.S.

Conductex K Ultra 185 125 141 - 115 - Korea

Conductex 7097 Ultra 85 82 160 - 97 - Korea

Conductex 7093 75 73 140 - 98 - China Wire and cable, ESD, and other conductive applications

Conductex 7067 Ultra 63 54 140 - 65 - Korea

Conductex 7060 Ultra 63 56 156 - 70 - Canada

Conductex 7055 Ultra 55 50 170 - 61 - Canada

Conductex 7051 Ultra 43 42 121 - 55 - Canada

Conductex 7054 Ultra 43 42 122 - 60 - Korea

Wire and cable insulation shield
Conductex 7090 43 42 121 - 55 - China

Conductex 7095 Ultra 39 39 121 - 58 - Spain

1 – Surface oxidized, “Treated” product Rev 12/2016

Treated products typically range in pH from 3.0–3.5

Non-treated products typically range in pH from 6.5–8.0
OAN and tint strength are measured prior to treatment

2 – Industry specific treatment for enhanced dispersion and handling properties

Color Index No. 77266, Pigment Black 7, CAS No. 1333-86-4

Raven® and Conductex® are registered trademarks of Columbian Chemicals Co.

THE ONLY SPECIALTY BLACKS SOLUTION
YOU NEED, FROM THE WORLD LEADER
IN CARBON BLACK. CONTACT US TODAY.
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The information presented within this publication is based on Birla Carbon’s research and the
research of others, but neither its accuracy nor completeness is guaranteed. “Birla Carbon”
means Columbian Chemicals Company together with its global affiliates, including any entity
controlling, controlled by or under common control with Columbian Chemicals Company.
BIRLA CARBON MAKES NO, AND DISCLAIMS ALL, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ACCURACY, PERFORMANCE, STABILITY, RELIABILITY,
OR USE, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OR FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The user is solely responsible for determining the suitability of any
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as a recommendation to infringe upon any patent or to violate any law or regulation. Before
handling, using, or processing any material, always read its Material Safety Data Sheet.
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