Decoding an acrylic paint tube label

A paint tube label is filled with language and codes that might not be easily interpreted by a new artist. I decode many of the words, codes and jargon on the labels so you can purchase a tube of paint with confidence. 

As I show examples, keep in mind that different manufacturers sometimes use some different methods to share the same information. And they definitely put the info in different places on tubes. Once you understand the general language of a tube of paint, you’ll be able understand, even through these differences. 

I’m also only looking at artist quality paints, specifically from Golden Artist Acrylics, Liquitex Professional, Holbein Acrylic and Kroma Artist Acrylics. These are all tubes I own and provide quite a bit of information on their labels. Student or hobby lines of paint generally just provide a paint name and not much more. Very small manufacturers will include varying amounts of information on their paint labels. 

Learn about acrylic paint tube labels on my YouTube channel.

Paint name 

Generally, this is some of the biggest text, other than the logo. You’ll see names like ultramarine blue, hansa light yellow, or azo gold. There are a ton of different paint colour names. Some are consistent across paint manufacturers, like cadmium orange. Others aren’t. For example, I have tubes of Golden’s anthraquinone blue and Winsor & Newton’s indantherene blue which are different names but the same pigment.

Pigment 

Since paint names aren’t consistent across manufacturers, quality artist paint manufacturers will label their tubes with pigment numbers. This is a code that is consistent. The first two letters stand for Pigment and the Colour. The numbers that follow indicate the pigment within that particular colour. For example, PR122 is quinacridone magenta. P = pigment, R = red, and 122 which of the red pigments it is. In this case, it’s quinacridone magenta pigment. 

One of the complexities of colour is that a matching pigment code between two manufacturers doesn’t necessarily mean that the tubes of paints are the same. Depending how the pigment is treated, the binder used, etc., the colour may be similar or quite different. 

Some tubes of paint have a mixture of pigments. All should be labelled on the tube. 

Here’s a listing of the different letters for different paint hues:

• PR – red
• PB – blue
• PY – yellow
• PO – orange
• PV – violet
• PG – green
• PBr – brown
• PBk – black
• PW – white

Opacity rating 

Tubes of artist-quality paint will often have a square on it, either white with a black outline, a slash through it, half white/half black, or a black square. This symbol indicates how transparent or opaque the paint colour is. Transparent means light can pass through it, i.e. it’s somewhat see-through, while opaque means light does not pass through the paint layer, i.e. it’s not see-through. 

• White with a black outline – transparent
• White with a black slash – semi-transparent
• Half white/half black – semi-opaque
• Black – opaque

Some manufacturers don’t use the square symbol to indicate opacity. They may just use a star rating or another method. Holbein uses a series of squares, kind of like a bar chart, to show opacity.

Colour swatch

Some manufacturers put a swatch of real paint on the outside of their tubes, which is fantastic. You get to see the exact colour. It’s also generally swatched over some black printed shapes, which shows just how transparent the colour is. 

ASTM Lightfastness Rating

This shows how lightfast a pigment is. The vast majority of artist-quality pigments are Excellent or Very Good. The most common exceptions are fluorescent colours. This means fluorescent colours will fade and change colour in as little as a few months, when exposed to light. Pigments rated as excellent will last for many, many years without colour changes. 

ASTM is the international organization that independently tests and provides ratings. The following are the codes – some manufacturers may use roman numerals instead of digits. Sometimes the number might be inside or beside a sun symbol.

• ASTM 1 – Excellent
• ASTM 2 – Very good
• ASTM 3 – Fair
• ASTM 4 – Poor
• ASTM 5 – Very poor

Fluorescent paints always have a poor lightfastness rating. This one just uses words to note their lightfastness rather than the number system.

Again, Holbein doesn’t use this rating system. They use a series of squares to indicate how lightfast a tube of paint is. 

Series

This is a very important piece of information because it indicates the cost! Different pigments have different prices and artist-quality pigments can be anywhere from cheap to very expensive. At the art store, there will usually be a sign showing the different prices for different series – use that information wisely to avoid sticker shock when you go to pay. Some manufacturers use a number for their series, while others might use letters. 

Directions

Many paint manufacturers include directions for use and cleaning. Typically, these are pretty general.

Safety

Quite a few brands will include safety information on their tube labels. You may see language saying that it conforms to certain codes and safety standards.