Ultramarine blue pigment and phthalocyanine blue are two common blue pigments. Although both belong to the blue series, there are some differences in their chemical composition, color characteristics and applications.
On the one hand, phthalocyanine blue is an organic synthetic pigment, and its main structure is phthalocyanine compound. Ultramarine blue pigment belongs to inorganic pigment, which is a natural mineral pigment obtained by heat treatment of limestone and sulfur ore. Its main chemical component is sulfated aluminum silicate.
On the other hand, phthalocyanine blue presents sky blue with two shades of red-blue and green-blue. Ultramarine blue is a darker royal blue with a slightly purple-red hue.
what's more, although ultramarine blue pigment is an inorganic pigment, its color looks brighter and fuller than phthalocyanine blue.
In addition, phthalocyanine blue has strong tinting power and good transparency. Its light resistance and weather resistance are worse than ultramarine blue. Ultramarine blue pigment has a higher hiding power, and although the color looks brighter than phthalocyanine blue pigment, its tinting power is relatively weak.
