Indian Red Our Indian Red is a single pigment color made of natural iron oxide mineral from deposits near the Chennai (also known as Madras), the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Iron ores exist in great abundance throughout the Indian Peninsula and are widely distributed. The quality of these ores is usually excellent with a high content of ferric oxide, typically above 90%.
Red iron oxide or ferric oxide is the principle coloring agent in red earths, such as Indian Red. This color is based on the natural mineral hematite associated with varying proportions of others mineral such as clay, chalk and silica. They differ from other ochers in that they do not contain water. In other words, the iron to which they owe their color is iron oxide not hydrated iron oxide.
Natural red oxides, such as Indian red, are very opaque, absolutely permanent and have excellent covering power. They are strong absorbers of ultraviolet light. The best bluish shades are called Indian red. Formerly there was much confusion in the nomenclature of the red iron oxides; the names provided in the Color Names table are those specified in the ASTM Standard.
Composition and Permanence| Indian Red | |
| Color: | Indian Red |
| Binder: | Linseed oil |
| Additive(s): | None |
| Pigment Information | |
| Pigment: | |
| Pigment Classification: | Natural inorganic |
| Colour Index: | Pigment Red 102 (77491) |
| Chemical Name: | Natural Iron Oxide |
| Chemical Formula: | Fe2O3 |
| CAS No. | 1309-37-1 37338-85-5 |
| Properties | |
| Code: | 505 |
| Series: | 2 |
| Opacity: | Opaque |
| Tinting Strength: | High |
| Drying Rate: | Medium |
| ASTM Lightfastness: | I |
| Permanence: | A - Permanent |
| Safety Information: | There are no acute or known chronic health hazards associated with the anticipated use of this product (most chemicals are not fully tested for chronic toxicity). Always protect yourself against potentially unknown chronic hazards of this and other chemical products by keeping them out of your body. Do this by avoiding ingestion, excessive skin contact, and inhalation of spraying mists, sanding dusts and vapors from heating. Conforms to ASTM D-4236 |
For a detailed explanation of the terms in the table above, please visit .
NotesSome separation of pigment and oil may occur in Rublev Colours Artist Oils and is a natural process when no wax or stabilizers are added to paint to prevent this from occurring.
All images of color swatches in this web site are only approximations of the actual color of the oil paint. We have taken every care to match the color in these pictures on calibrated color monitors to the actual color. However, because of the wide variance in color monitors the results you get may vary.
Color Swatch Note: The color swatch was created with a thick application (left side) of color and a tint (right side) made with equal parts of color and titanium white and applied on acrylic primed cotton canvas.
Drawdown Note: The image of the "drawdown" contains a pre-mixed paint film of 6 mil (0.006 inch) thickness applied to a standard test card for the purposes of examining color consistency, opacity and other qualities. The drawdowns show the color full strength (mass tone), on the left, and mixed in a 1:2 ratio with titanium white on the right. The bottom area of the drawdowns are scraped to show undertones.
| Color Names | |
| Common Names: | English: red oxide French: oxyde rouge German: Oxid rot Italian: rosso ossido Portuguese: vermelho óxido Spanish: rojo óxido |
| Synonymous Names: | English: Indian red French: rouge Indien Spanish: rojo Indio |
| Alternate Names: | Mars red is the name given to the syntehtic substitute of natural red iron oxide. |