Umbers are one of the oldest pigments used by mankind. These natural Iron Oxides are known for their durability. They are both lightfast and chemical resistant. As such, they are considered permanent pigments. Raw Umbers are based on the naturally occurring Umber ore. Hoover 406RU is processed to a lower extent than Hoover’s Best and Better series of Raw Umber and that cost savings is passed on to our customers. Customers should expect a lower level of dispersability from Hoover 406RU along with greater lot-to-lot color variation.

One of the characteristics that make Raw Umber such a useful pigment is that it is a “neutral toner.” Often brighter colored pigments are too bright (or have too much chroma) for a given application. Adding a black pigment to darken these colors adds an undesirable color component from the black. Raw Umbers maintain a neutral tone, reducing a brighter pigment’s chroma without affecting the hue. As a result, Raw Umbers are a major component in today’s Architectural Coatings coloring systems and other tinting systems.