The beginning use of iron oxide pigments coloring for concretes was in 1950 by California’s F.D. Davis Company, while in Chinese market, the concrete application of iron oxide is only 8% in 1990. During the past 26 years, iron oxide pigments have been gainning significant market acceptance in the process of adding iron oxides to concrete, especially for production of concrete masonry products, now the consumption of iron oxides in concretes and other building materials is more than 60% in China. Benefit for below advantages, iron oxide pigments staining in concretes cannot be replaced by any other pigments:
1. Very cheap pigments;
2. Suitable for environmental protection policy in the world;
3. Excellent light and weather resistance, iron oxide pigments will not fade over time;
4. Easy to apply iron oxides at any time after setting the concrete, and no need to wait for it to cure.
Iron oxide pigments are powders, they can be stirred into wet concrete before poured into the molds, or applied as wash after stone demolded. The most important of iron oxides stainning in concretes are iron oxide red, iron oxide black and iron oxide yellow, iron oxide brown, iron oxide orange, iron oxide green and iron oxide blue are also widely used. Epsilon's iron oxides are produced by synthesis methods, some times we call it synthesized iron oxides, which can improve iron oxides' quality including purity, stability, lightfastness and weather resistance, also the shade is more bright. Besides iron oxide pigments, chrome oxide green, titanium dioxide, carbon black can also be used in concretes, even complex inorganic pigments, such as cobalt blue etc.
