Applications

Building Products

Exterior building products must be designed to endure the sunniest climates, where heat build-up can lead to part failure and increased energy costs.

Arctic® IR-reflecting pigments are colored ceramic pigments, essentially synthetic minerals. They have been used for many years in the most demanding building applications:
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Coatings

An IR-reflective roof decreases a building’s cooling load and saves energy. Arctic® pigments allow for the manufacture of colored roofing materials that meet the U.S. EPA’s EnergyStar and other regulatory and code requirements. In addition to energy savings, IR-reflective roofs transfer less heat to the surrounding air – leading to cooler cities and less smog.

By incorporating Arctic® IR-reflecting pigments, metal cladding and roofs will undergo less thermal expansion and contraction, mitigating fastener failure and generally extending the lifetime of the product.

Arctic® pigments are perfectly suitable for all types of architectural finishes, including highly-alkaline masonry coatings (e.g. silicate paints).

Vinyl windows and siding

Cement, concrete and pavers

Used in cementitious applications, Shepherd pigments will never fade and counter heat build-up. No more burning feet on hot cement! IR reflectance will allow the color to stay true longer. The colors might be bright, but these pigments are tough!

With many trends favoring the adding of colors to your building materials, don't you owe it to your customers and company to get the best quality products? With Shepherd's Cobalt Blues and the rest of the product line, you get premiere quality for a reasonable price.

Roof tiles

Energy savings and environmental benefits accrue, whether in clay, concrete, fiber cement, or other roofing materials.

Automotive

Dark colored cars get hotter under the summer sun. Dark seats may be easier to maintain, but they can get uncomfortably warm. Hot instrument panels, consoles and dashboards become brittle with age, and exude plasticizer and other organic compounds.

No matter what the material, Arctic® pigments will reduce its heat build-up. And Arctic® pigments will keep on performing for decades, whether you’re looking for colorfastness, IR-reflection, or other properties.

Military

Chlorophyll is the pigment that makes plants green. To camouflage military equipment and personnel, synthetic green pigments are incorporated into materials, mimicking the surrounding foliage. However, conventional green pigments do NOT resemble chlorophyll in the infrared – they absorb IR light, whereas chlorophyll reflects it. As a result, an improperly formulated camouflage color appears black against a bright background when viewed through IR-imaging equipment.

Arctic® IR-reflecting pigments make possible the formulation of materials that look like foliage to the human eye – and also the infrared camera.

An additional benefit to Arctic® IR-reflecting pigments is their ability to reflect solar energy from the decks of ships. Solar-induced heat build-up is minimized, as is the energy burden to cool the vessel’s interior.