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Plastics must be colorfast, durable, and in some cases, highly conductive. Many end-use plastics rely on the unique properties of carbon black to deliver all of these performance characteristics. In some plastics applications, however, one performance attribute takes precedence in shaping the desired result. Whatever your need may be, our technical experts will help you find the right solution from our full spectrum of Raven and Conductex specialty carbon blacks.

PERFORMANCE FEATURES

COLOR

High, medium, or low surface area Raven carbon blacks are incorporated during the production of concentrates or compounds to impart your desired level of jetness or tint in plastics parts produced by molding, extrusion, or other processes.

PROTECTION

By converting UV radiation into heat, our Raven carbon blacks protect polymers such as polyolefins and engineering resins from degradation that would otherwise occur due to the absorption of radiation. This resistance to UV absorption from sunlight exposure contributes to improved weatherability and a longer life for your plastic product.

CONDUCTIVITY

Whether you require semi-conductivity for power cable shielding or electrostatic dissipation for sensitive electronics, our Conductex carbon blacks deliver the appropriate levels of conductivity to a range of plastic applications.

OUR PRODUCTS

CONDUCTIVE & ESD

CONDUCTIVE & ESD

Carefully engineered with tailored morphologies, our Conductex carbon blacks prevent electrical damage and provide the required level of conductivity for your resin system.

ENGINEERING PLASTICS

ENGINEERING PLASTICS

Fine particle Raven carbon blacks provide deep jetness, attractive tone, and gloss in high performance resins.

FIBERS

FIBERS

Raven products are designed to achieve superior color for synthetic fibers applications. With best-in-class cleanliness, our products reduce filter pressure and fiber breaks in production.

FILM & MOLDING

FILM & MOLDING

Choose from our range of Raven carbon blacks to incorporate excellent UV protection in industrial or consumer plastics. Our low-PAH products are suitable for food-contact applications.

PIPES

PIPES

Protect pipes from mechanical degradation caused by harmful UV radiation with our Raven P-type carbon blacks. Their excellent chemical and physical purity delivers compounds with low moisture pickup and smooth extruded surface finish.

WIRE & CABLE

WIRE & CABLE

Extend cable life by creating exceptionally smooth and conductive insulation, conductor shield, and UV resistant jacketing compounds with our Conductex and Raven carbon blacks.

OUR PRODUCTS

Product NameDescriptionData SheetSDSContact
Conductex 7090Conductex 7090 carbon black is a conductive product produced in China for strippable insulation shield compounds. Conductex 7090 carbon black features superior physical and chemical cleanliness for use in demanding power cable applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven P125URaven P125 Ultra carbon black is a next generation product for plastics applications. Owing to its carefully tailored morphology and ultra-cleanliness, it is the lowest moisture pick-up product for pressure pipe applications. Raven P125 Ultra carbon black is suitable for use in food contact applications due to its compliance with (EU) No. 10/2011.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven P7URaven P7 Ultra carbon black is a next generation product for plastics applications. Owing to its carefully tailored morphology and ultra-cleanliness, it is a low moisture pick-up product for pressure pipe applications. Raven P7 Ultra carbon black is suitable for use in food contact applications due to its compliance with (EU) No.10/2011. Additionally, the features of Raven P7 Ultra carbon black make it an excellent product for end use in fiber, film and molding. brochure-iconcontact-icon
Conductex 7055UConductex C7055 Ultra carbon black is a highly dispersible, high purity, low moisture content conductive product that can be used in the conductor shield (strippable and bonded) for power cables and also for conductive ESD needs. The product morphology allows low carbon black loadings in various polymers in order to retain critical mechanical properties in final products while achieving superior surface finish.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 2800URaven 2800 Ultra carbon black is a high jetness product specifically designed for use in high value plastics such as engineering resins. This product provides the jetness, blue tone, and surface finish properties needed across diverse end-use applications including electronics, automotive, and household appliances. Raven 2800 Ultra carbon black is an excellent solution for processes and applications that require higher levels of dispersion.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Conductex KUConductex K Ultra carbon black is a high purity product for conductive applications. It delivers a high level of conductivity at low loadings and can be used in conductor shields for power cables and also for ESD molded products. If there is a secondary performance requirement for increased jetness in a specific application, then this product would be an excellent choice due to its higher surface area.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Conductex 7097UConductex 7097 Ultra carbon black is a conductive product. This product features superior physical and chemical cleanliness for use in demanding power cable (conductor shield) and electrostatic dissipation applications. An engineered morphology allows for a highly dispersible product with a good level of conductive performance at lower carbon black loadings.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 410Raven 410 carbon black is specially designed for plastic color concentrates. The unique morphology and high physical cleanliness of this product provide excellent carbon black dispersion, superior processing, and smooth surface finish. This easy to disperse, blue tone pigment is applicable to a wide range of color applications, such as film and molding. Its balanced morphology allows high loading of black in masterbatch for most polymer systems.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 2500URaven 2500 Ultra carbon black is a high surface area product specifically designed for high color applications in high value plastics such as engineering resins. This product provides excellent UV absorption for protection of polymers and easy dispersibility resulting in the smooth surface finish needed across diverse end-use applications like electronics, automotive, and household appliances.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven PFEB Raven PFEB carbon black is an industry benchmark product for plastics applications. Owing to its carefully tailored morphology and extreme cleanliness, it is a low moisture pick-up product for critical applications, namely pressure pipes, film and fiber. Raven PFEB carbon black is suitable for use in food contact applications due to its compliance with (EU) No. 10/2011.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven P5U Raven P5 Ultra carbon black is a high-performance product for plastics applications. As an Ultra carbon black product, this black has the highest levels of purity and consistency required for critical applications, namely, pipe, film and fiber. Raven P5 Ultra carbon black is compliant with (EU) No. 10/2011 making it suitable for use in food contact applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 520 Raven 520 is a carbon black, listed in the PPI (Plastics Pipe Institute) for high pressure pipe in the NA market. This product features a low surface area and high structure, offering an easy to disperse black with blue undertone, smooth surface finish and high loading opportunities in plastic masterbatches.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 880Raven 880 carbon black is a high performance product for general purpose plastics applications. The product features low levels of ash and residue for improved processing and higher end-use performance.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven FC1Raven FC1 carbon black is a high performance product for U.S. FDA indirect food-contact plastics applications. This product provides the color, processing, and surface finish properties needed across the diverse polymers typically used for food-contact applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 425Raven 425 carbon black is specially designed for plastic color concentrates. The unique morphology and high physical cleanliness of this product provide excellent carbon black dispersion, superior processing, and smooth surface finish. This easy to disperse, blue tone pigment is applicable to a wide range of color applications and can be highly loaded in most polymer systems.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 2900URaven 2900 Ultra carbon black is a very high jetness product specifically designed for use in high value plastics such as engineering resins. This product provides the jetness, blue tone, and surface finish properties needed across diverse end-use applications including electronics, automotive, and household appliances.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 2350URaven 2350 Ultra carbon black is a high jetness product specifically designed for use in high value plastics such as engineering resins. This product provides the color and surface finish properties needed across diverse end-use applications including electronics, automotive, and household appliances. The distinctive morphology of Raven 2350 Ultra carbon black provides for highly loaded masterbatches.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 3000URaven 3000 Ultra carbon black is a very high jetness product specifically designed for use in high value plastics such as engineering resins. The very high jetness and surface finish properties of Raven 3000 Ultra carbon black make it suitable for the most demanding electronics, automotive, and household appliance applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 1300URaven 1300 Ultra carbon black is a high-performance product developed for fine denier synthetic fiber and high-end film applications. It is highly dispersible, exhibits good filterability and weatherability coupled with excellent color strength and tonal response. brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven SF8URaven SF8 Ultra carbon black is a high performance product specifically designed for fine-denier synthetic fibers like polyester-based fibers. Raven SF8 Ultra carbon black offers superior performance for demanding fiber applications and provides easy dispersibility and excellent color strength. State-of-the-art production technologies lend Raven SF8 Ultra carbon black an eye-appealing blue undertone that delivers a sense of deeper color.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Conductex 7093Conductex 7093 carbon black is a conductive product produced in China. Conductex 7093 carbon black features superior physical and chemical cleanliness for use in demanding power cable and electrostatic dissipation applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven UVURaven UV Ultra carbon black is a high performance product for UV protection in plastics applications. As an Ultra carbon black product, Raven UV Ultra provides the highest level of purity and consistency often required for critical applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Conductex 7054UConductex 7054 Ultra carbon black is a conductive product produced in Korea for strippable insulation shield compounds. Conductex 7054 Ultra carbon black features superior physical and chemical cleanliness for use in demanding power cable applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Conductex 7095UConductex 7095 Ultra carbon black is a conductive product produced in Europe for strippable insulation shield compounds. Conductex 7095 Ultra carbon black features superior physical and chemical cleanliness for use in demanding power cable applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Conductex 7051Conductex 7051U Ultra carbon black is a conductive product for strippable insulation shield compounds. This carbon black features superior physical and chemical cleanliness for use in demanding power cable applications.brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 5100URaven 5100 Ultra carbon black is the next generation piano black for high end plastic applications in automotive, consumer electronics, and household appliances. Raven 5100 Ultra carbon black offers outstanding color in terms of jetness and undertone performance. brochure-iconcontact-icon
Raven 2000Raven 2000 carbon black is the lowest surface area product in Birla Carbon’s high color carbon black family for engineering plastics. It benefits include high levels of dispersibility, improved blue tone and high application tint strength. This product is frequently used for automotive applications where the full shade jetness level provided by other higher surface area products are not needed. brochure-iconcontact-icon
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Frequently Asked Questions

Carbon black refers to engineered carbon nanoparticles that are fused together to form unique 3-dimensional aggregates. Carbon black, in its pure form, is a fine black powder. It is produced by partial burning and pyrolysis of oil residues or natural gas at high temperatures under controlled process conditions. Carbon black is different from charcoal. Carbon black has a complex particulate structure that is formed in a gas phase produced from fully pyrolyzed hydrocarbons at high temperatures. Charcoal is produced by the pyrolysis of wood or other carbonaceous materials at lower temperatures and is in bulk or milled powder form. Due to their structural and morphological differences, they have distinctly different performances.

Carbon black is usually made from hydrocarbon oils, e.g., refined coal tar or heavy petroleum oil, or natural gas. Hydrocarbons derived from recycled tires, and biomass, e.g., wood, etc., are gaining increasing attention as sustainable sources of feedstock.

Carbon black is a vital component in making many of the products we use every day strong, appealing, durable and safe. Some of these solutions include tires, automotive weatherstrip and belts, plastic parts, coatings, inks and sealants. For example, tires without reinforcing carbon black would not run over 100 miles. As a pigment, carbon black offers desired color strength for applications ranging from electronic enclosures to automotive coatings, and household appliances. Carbon black imparts UV durability to rubber and plastic goods to ensure their service life for a few decades. As an electrically conductive additive, carbon black renders insulative rubber and plastic materials antistatic, electrodissipative or conductive to provide safety and protection, and thereby reliability for mining, electronic packaging, and wire and cable applications, to name a few.

In principle, carbon black can be stored for many years in a dry, cool, and well-ventilated location.  According to ATM D 8043 Standard Guide for Carbon Black — Shelf Life, “the shelf life of carbon black is defined as indefinite when stored in a manner that protects it from liquid water or high humidity environments. The only two properties of carbon black known to change over time are moisture and Iodine number. The moisture content can change over the short-term (weeks or months), depending on the ambient humidity and the surface area of the carbon black. Iodine number can change over an extended period (years) due to a slow increase in the oxygen content on the surface of the carbon black.”   However, “the slight change in Iodine Number over an extended period does not affect actual surface area properties and in-rubber performance of the carbon black.”

Detailed guidelines may be found in carbon black’s safety datasheet (SDS) provided by the manufacturer or supplier, or in Carbon Black User’s Guide provided by ICBA (International Carbon Black Association).

Below are a few examples: 1) Avoid dust formation; do not breathe dust; provide appropriate local exhaust to minimize dust formation; do not use compressed air; 2) Take precautionary measures against static discharges; 3) Maintain safe work practices, including the elimination of potential ignition sources in proximity to carbon black dust, good housekeeping to minimize accumulation of dust, and appropriate exhaust ventilation design and maintenance to control airborne dust levels, etc.; 4) Handle in accordance with good industrial hygiene and safety practices.5) Use process enclosures and/or exhaust ventilation to keep airborne dust concentrations 6) Wear appropriate PPEs. e.g., respirators, masks, safety glasses or goggles, protective glove, and clothing, etc.

The industry has made tremendous progress in recovering carbon black for re-usage.  One of the examples is to reclaim carbon black from post-consumer tires and reuse it for tires or other applications.  After years of extensive research and development, Birla Carbon has introduced ContinuaTM Sustainable Carbonaceous Material (SCM) to make circularity a reality.  Please visit https://www.birlacarbon.com/continua/ or contact a Birla Carbon representative for details.

The certificate of analysis (COA) provided by the manufacturer or supplier summarizes a carbon black product’s key properties, including iodine or nitrogen surface area, structure (OAN), cleanliness (sieve residue).  that the COA may be used as a starting point to assess if the product meets quality requirements.  Please contact a Birla Carbon representative for assistance.

According to ICBA Carbon Black User’s Guide, “Carbon black produced by certain processes has been approved under specific circumstances and for specific uses involving (indirect) contact with food.” Specific government regulations, e.g., US FDA, EU (EU) 10/2011 determine carbon black’s indirect food contact applications.  Please contact your Birla Carbon representative for details.

Carbon black is a material that absorbs light, and its ability to absorb light, i.e., blackness or jetness, is positively correlated with its surface area. Therefore, carbon blacks with larger surface areas offer higher jetness and bluetone.  Another key factor impacting color is carbon black’s dispersion.  Inferior dispersion results in inferior color.  There is a trade-off between carbon black dispersion and surface area: carbon blacks with higher surface area tend to be more difficult to disperse.  Therefore, it is important to choose the right carbon black for your jetness and bluetone requirements.

A tinting carbon black is used to reduce the reflectance of a white pigment, e.g., TiO2, when used together.  Its efficiency, called tinting strength, is dependent of a few key carbon black properties, including surface area and aggregate size distributions, and the dispersion quality.  Carbon blacks with larger surface area and smaller aggregate size show higher tinting strength even with a small amount of carbon black. However, these blacks are more difficult to disperse, which affects the tinting strength.  In addition, carbon blacks with lower surface area usually exhibit desired bluer undertone in the tinting application.  Therefore, carbon black products with relatively low surface area and easy dispersion are often used for tinting.

Since carbon black absorbs all light, including UV, it is used as one of the most cost-effective and non-consumable UV protection additives. The characteristics of carbon black most closely related to UV absorption performance are as follows:
– Higher surface area leads to higher UV absorption.
– High structure improves dispersion, thus increases UV absorption.
– Porosity increases the number of aggregates in unit weight thus increases the number of absorption sites to achieve improved UV absorption.

It is worth mentioning UV protection tends to level off for surface areas higher than ~100 m2/g. Therefore, choosing a carbon black with right surface area and dispersibility is important to meet one’s UV protection needs.

In general, highly conductive carbon blacks tend to have a higher surface area, higher structure, higher porosity, but lower surface activity, i.e., higher chemical cleanliness. In addition, higher loading and improved dispersibility also lead to increased conductivity.  When one chooses a carbon black for conductive applications, the following aspects should be considered: optimized compounding conditions, processibility, desired conductivity, retention of mechanical performance including tensile strength, elongation and impact strength, and cost.  For some applications like wire and cable, smooth surface finish is also critical.  Please contact your Birla Carbon representative for assistance.