lithopone raw material

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The price list for lithopone pigment in China is influenced by several factors. Firstly, the availability and cost of raw materials, zinc sulfide and barium sulfate, have a direct impact on the final product pricing. Fluctuations in the global market for these minerals can lead to changes in the lithopone pigment prices. Secondly, production capacity and efficiency of Chinese manufacturers also play a crucial role. A high production capacity often results in more competitive pricing due to economies of scale.

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Having thus described the origin and uses of the pigment, we now come to the question, what is lithopone? It is, in short, a chemical compound usually consisting of 30.5 per cent zinc sulphide, 1.5 per cent zinc oxide and 68 per cent barium sulphate, but these proportions vary slightly in the different makes. Lithopone of this composition is sold as the highest grade, either as red seal or green seal, as it best suits the idea of the manufacturer. Many manufacturers, especially in Europe, sell and also export other brands under other seals, containing 24, 20, 18 and as little as 12 per cent of zinc sulphide with very small percentages of zinc oxide, the balance being usually barium sulphate, but sometimes certain portions of China clay or gypsum (calcium sulphate) or whiting (calcium carbonate). Such brands are not a chemical compound, but mechanical mixtures of the chemically compounded lithopone and the admixtures referred to.

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