Bright Red Fluorescent Pigment, High Visibility 1–5μm – KT-FDS426

Bright Red Fluorescent Pigment, High Visibility 1–5μm – KT-FDS426

Special Effect Pigments › Fluorescent Pigment Series (Neon)

KT-FDS426 is a Bright Red daylight fluorescent pigment in the fine 1–5μm particle size range — a neon-grade organic pigment that converts absorbed light (including UV) into visible fluorescent emission, producing a red color with a luminance level that significantly exceeds conventional red pigments under daylight and UV-rich lighting conditions. At 1–5μm, KT-FDS426 is optimized for printing inks, coatings, and plastic compounding where fine D50 distribution ensures smooth film formation, uniform color development, and processability in standard industrial equipment. The bright red neon position makes it appropriate for safety signage, high-visibility marking, promotional packaging, and specialty applications where maximum red color impact under both daylight and UV illumination is the design target.

Product Positioning — Red in the Fluorescent Neon Color Range

KT-FDS426 Bright Red sits at the cooler-red end of Kolortek's fluorescent pigment range — distinct from the orange-red transition grades (KT-FDS424) and positioned as a true red neon for applications where orange bias in the red would be a color match failure. Within the series, moving from orange-yellow through orange, orange-red, and into bright red represents a progressive shift toward shorter wavelengths in the warm visible spectrum.

Kolortek Fluorescent Pigment Series — Full Color Range at 1–5μm

All listed grades are at 1–5μm standard particle size. Contact Kolortek for additional colors and availability of coarser particle size grades for specific applications.

Technical Specifications

Key Technical Characteristics

Why fluorescent red appears brighter than conventional red pigments: Standard red pigments reflect red wavelengths and absorb the rest. KT-FDS426 additionally absorbs UV and blue-green wavelengths and re-emits them as red fluorescence. The total red light reaching the observer includes both the conventionally reflected portion and the fluorescent emission — a combined output that can exceed the luminance of the illuminant in the red wavelength region. The result is a color that appears to be lit from within under daylight, and that glows distinctly under UV/black light sources.

1–5μm — fine D50 distribution for industrial processing: The 1–5μm particle size makes KT-FDS426 compatible with gravure and flexo printing systems, thin-film coating applications, and plastic masterbatch compounding. Coarser fluorescent pigment grades can cause streaking in printing and uneven color distribution in thin films — the fine distribution of KT-FDS426 eliminates these issues and allows higher loading levels before visible particle agglomeration affects surface quality.

Dual daylight and UV performance: KT-FDS426 performs as a high-chroma red in normal daylight conditions and intensifies further under UV illumination — a property relevant for UV-reactive event products, inspection marking systems, and specialty security or authentication printing where UV response alongside daylight visibility is required from a single pigment.

Lightfastness — the standard constraint for all fluorescent organic pigments: Fluorescent pigments have lower outdoor UV stability than inorganic red pigments. Extended outdoor exposure causes fluorescence intensity to diminish before the underlying color is fully lost. UV-stabilized binder systems and protective clear topcoats significantly extend effective service life for exterior applications. For indoor, point-of-sale, promotional, and short-cycle applications, the lightfastness performance is generally adequate. Kolortek can provide application-specific lightfastness guidance on request.

Kolortek has manufactured the fluorescent pigment series for over 20 years, maintaining consistent fluorescent dye loading and D50 particle size distribution across production batches — the two parameters that most directly affect color brightness consistency in high-volume printing and coating production. TDS and SDS are available on request.

Application Range

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between KT-FDS426 Bright Red and KT-FDS424 Orange Red?
A: Both are daylight fluorescent neon pigments at 1–5μm. KT-FDS424 Orange Red has a warmer, orange-biased red tone — it sits between pure orange and true red on the neon color spectrum. KT-FDS426 Bright Red is a cooler, more neutral true red. In printing and coating applications where color matching to a specific red standard is required (RAL, Pantone, or brand-defined red), the choice between these two grades determines whether the delivered red reads warm or cool. Request samples of both for comparative evaluation against your target color before specifying.

Q: Does KT-FDS426 glow in the dark?
A: No. KT-FDS426 is a daylight fluorescent pigment — it requires incident light to produce its effect and stops immediately when light is removed. Glow-in-the-dark (phosphorescent) pigments store energy and release it slowly in darkness. These are fundamentally different materials. Kolortek's Glow in Dark Pigment Series covers phosphorescent grades — see that product family for applications requiring dark-emission capability.

Q: How does KT-FDS426 perform under UV/black light versus standard daylight?
A: Under standard daylight, KT-FDS426 delivers a bright neon red that exceeds the luminance of conventional red pigments. Under UV/black light illumination, the fluorescent emission intensifies significantly — the red appears strongly luminous against a dark background. This dual performance makes KT-FDS426 useful for applications that need to be visible and impactful in both normal lighting and UV environments from a single pigment specification.

Request Samples or Technical Documentation

Neon red color appearance depends on binder system, substrate color, film thickness, and lighting conditions — bench evaluation is the most reliable qualification step before production commitment. Contact Kolortek to request a sample of KT-FDS426 Bright Red alongside adjacent grades in the fluorescent series, download the TDS, or discuss formulation guidance for your specific printing, coating, or plastics application.