How to Understand Paint-Tube Labels
December 10th, 2007 | by Art Supplies |The basic information you will get on a paint label, be it a tube or jar or pot will be different from every manufacturer and for some the necessary information will be less or more depending on the needs of the user.
The quality brands and suppliers of paint to artists will generally list the following specifications:
1) The name of the manufacturer and usually the common name for the color: e.g "Scarlet Red"
2)A list of the pigment/s that have been used and the color index name/s or number/s.
4) The amount of paint within the container measured in volume.
5)The address of the manufacturer and their contact details.
6)Also contained is data concerning the device used to keep the pigment cohesive, this is gum arabic when dealing with watercolor or gouache paints and acrylic polymer emulsion for acrylic based paints.
U.S.A based paint manufacturers have the added data of how compliant with ASTM Standards the paint is. Examples of such ratings are ASTM D4236 and D5098, it is up to you to consider how much you need this information and what they denote.
Also be aware of the manufacturers grading system, the higher the letter or number the more expensive the paint.
