Colour Anodising

Not only can you have a natural anodised finish but you can also choose from a massive range of colours.  This is one of the great advantages that anodising has over other coating systems.  You can have a nice natural anodised finish or  you can choose a coloured anodised finish.  Both plain and colour anodised finishes share the same corrosion and wear resistance.  Colour anodising is perfect for making your product stand out.

Advanced Anodising Ltd offers the following colours for your colour anodising;

Gold, black, yellow, red, blue, green, orange, violet/purple, pink, and bronze (If we don't stock the colour you need, let us know as we may be able to source it)

These colours are available all the time and are not dependent on the size of your job or that colour only being done once a week.

The choice is not  limited to just picking the  colour.  In most cases you also need to think about whether you require a glossy or matt type finish.  In addition it is possible to pick not only the colour but the shade depending on whether your preference is a lighter or darker shade.   Should you have a colour sample we may be able to match this with your anodising job.

There are some things to bear in mind when getting your anodising coloured.  Firstly there is the Aluminium alloy being anodised.  Some Aluminium alloys are suitable for the full range of available colours from light to dark shades, whereas other alloys may only be suitable for dark colour and other only black.

For example: Spoked motorbike rims anodise well producing a very light natural anodised coat.  Anodised rims are suitable for the full range of colours and shades.  In comparison the typical motorbike hub is  made from cast Aluminium alloy that produces a grey anodised coating.  This limits the colour range considerably and if the cast alloy has a high amount of silicon black may be the only option.  In most instances anodising is the most suitable coating for motorbike rims, while powder coating is the most suitable for motorbike hubs.

Generally speaking the following holds true for the following series of Aluminium alloys;

1000 series - (e.g. 1100)

Suitable for the full colour range, including bright finishes.

2000 series - (e.g. 2011, 2024,...)

These alloys tend to darker shades; not suitable for all colours, particularly light colours and shades.

3000 series - (e.g. 3103)

There is a tendency toward matt finish and it is difficult to achieve bright glossy finishes; not suitable for all colours.

4000 series - (e.g. 4043)

Not suitable for colour anodising

5000 series - (e.g. 5005, 5083)

These alloys are suitable for the full colour range, including bright finishes.

6000 series - (e.g. 6060, 6061, 6063)

Suitable for the full colour range, with 6063 being the most suitable for bright finishing

7000 series -

This series of alloys a bit more variable with regard to colour.  Motorbike rims such as the 'Excel' type anodise really well and take all colours, while it is easy to achieve a glossy look these alloys are not suitable for bright anodising.

Cast alloys -

Depends on casting; most are only suitable for dark colours or not at all

Another thing to consider when colouring is the requirement for UV resistance.  The dyes we use are not specifically rated for UV exposure but they are rated for light fastness which is a related measurement.  For a lot of applications UV resistance is not critical as the items will not be continuously exposed to UV.  Advanced Anodising Ltd uses dyes made by Clariant, who specialise in industrial chemicals and dyes.  We currently use  the following Clarient anodising dyes -

DYE                                             Lightfastness (1-8 scale)

Sanodal Gold 4N                       >8

Sanodal Yellow 3GL                 >8 (Tends to a fluoro finish)

Aluminium Orange RL              6

Sanodal Red B3LW                  >8  (This dye can also do pink, unknown light fastness)

Sanodal Blue 2LW                    >8

Aluminium Violet CLW             6-7

Sanodal Green 3LW                 >8

Sanodal Deep Black MLW       >8

Aluminium Bronze 2LW            7

For any anodised item permanently exposed to the sun a light fastness of >8 is recommended.  All colours, but black, can be done from a very light shade to a very dark shade but if light fastness is critical then you will require a darker shade.  All that said dyes with a lower light fastness have been successfully used on such things as bike frames, hiking equipment, sports equipment, etc .. for many years very successfully.  PLEASE NOTE: Ultimately all Aluminium dyes will fade regardless of the light fastness rating of the dye used.

Should you have a colour sample we will try to match as close as possible.  An exact colour match cannot be guaranteed, as there are many variables that effect anodising from one run to the next.

Please note that white is not a colour option available for anodised Aluminium.