Ford Kuga

 Service Manual

Paint - General Information » Color Identification and Chromatics
Metallic and pearl pigments

Colored paints achieve their color effect by the addition of pigments. Pigments are colored, solid, very fine organic and inorganic particles which are insoluble in the binding material.

Metallic pigments

Aluminum platelets are added as pigment to form metallic paint.

Depending on the size and shape of the aluminum platelets, different metallic effects can be achieved:

• Cornflake aluminum (1) causes very strong dispersion because of rough edges, low brilliance, very low flop and produces grey-silver shades.
• Dollar aluminum (2) causes hardly any dispersion because of the smooth surface, high brilliance, produces very light, almost white silver shades.

With metallic paints however, only a light-dark light reflection effect occurs.

Colored metallic paints are produced by the extra addition of color pigments to the metallic paint.

Pearl pigments

The basis of pearl pigments is formed by mica, which is metallized with a silver or gold layer.

Depending on the angles of light and observation, the mica platelets reflect different proportions of light. Because of this, the color of the paint appears to the observer to change.

Pearl pigments produce a colored and light-dark reflected light effect.

Basic color theory

Metallic and pearl pigments

Color codes and their determination on Ford vehicles

Matching tinted filler to the color code