Silberline

What Silberline does

Silberline, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, is a specialty chemicals manufacturer of aluminum and metallic effect pigments serving the coatings, printing, cosmetics, plastics, and functional applications industries. Its product portfolio spans aluminum pigments and pastes, pearlescent pigments, zinc flake pigments for corrosion protection, and specialized powders for additive manufacturing, marketed under longstanding brands including Silbercote, SILVERSHINE, METALURE, STAPA, STANDART, ProFLAKE, LASERSAFE, AMspheres, SYNCRYSTAL, VERSALAN, and Symic. Notable product differentiators include the first stabilized zinc flakes for water-based coating systems (ProFLAKE Zn HYDRO PM 3090), the MASTERSAFE pellet portfolio that combines Silberline and ECKART technologies as a sustainable alternative to metallization in plastics, and AMspheres metallic powders manufactured under EN 9100 aerospace certification.

Silberline's commercial identity is now tightly intertwined with ECKART, a sister division within Germany's ALTANA AG specialty chemicals group; product lines such as Silbercote and MASTERSAFE are explicitly described as combining the portfolios of ECKART and Silberline, and distribution, sustainability credentials (EcoVadis Platinum), and brand stewardship operate at the ECKART/ALTANA level. The business model is B2B direct sales with a global field force, targeting enterprise formulators in industrial coatings, automotive, powder coatings, graphic arts, can and coil coatings, color cosmetics, plastics, and aerospace additive manufacturing; pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue is not separately reported at the Silberline entity level.

The company's strategic positioning is anchored in regulatory compliance (BPA-NI coatings, EN 9100 for AM powders), sustainability (secondary aluminum usage, mineral oil-free inks, aqueous systems), and aesthetic/functional pigment innovation rather than digital or AI-enabled differentiation, serving a customer base whose end-markets — global paints and coatings (~$180B, 6.2% CAGR), can coatings (~$2.76B, 4.46% CAGR), and food can coatings (~$4.56B, 2.8% CAGR) — provide steady secular tailwinds.

Name

Silberline

Website

https://silberline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Silberline, founded in 1945 in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, manufactures aluminum and metallic effect pigments for industrial coatings, automotive, printing, cosmetics, plastics, and additive manufacturing, now operating as an integrated brand within ECKART under ALTANA AG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Effect Pigments

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Packaging & Can Coatings (IMAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Aluminum effect pigments
• Metallic pigment manufacturing
• Industrial coatings additives
• Printing ink pigments
• Cosmetic effect pigments

Headquarters

HQ city

Tamaqua

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Silberline manufactures aluminum and metallic effect pigments supplied to industrial customers for use in coatings, printing inks, plastics, cosmetics, and additive manufacturing applications. The company sells a portfolio of branded pigment products, including the Silbercote line and the MASTERSAFE pellet portfolio, with formulations engineered for regulatory compliance (such as BPA-NI and mineral oil-free systems) and specific end-use requirements such as EN 9100-certified supply for aerospace and 3D printing.

Product overview

Silberline operates as part of ECKART's effect pigment portfolio within the ALTANA Group. The product offering includes metallic effect pigments and pearlescent pigments, as well as concentrates, dispersions, and printing inks for the coating industry, printing industry, cosmetics, plastics, and functional applications. Silberline's products are combined with ECKART's offerings, particularly in brands like Silbercote and MASTERSAFE, to provide comprehensive solutions for industrial coatings, automotive coatings, powder coatings, graphic arts, color cosmetics, can and coil coatings, and other applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Silbercote aluminum effect pigments

Quantifiable outcome

• First stabilised zinc flakes for water-based systems on the market
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Altana AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECKART is a member of ALTANA AG, a global specialty chemicals group. ALTANA develops and produces high-quality effect pigments, additives, and specialty coatings. The ALTANA network includes divisions BYK, Elantas, Actega, and ECKART, enabling comprehensive solutions across coatings, printing, cosmetics, and industrial applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ECKART (ALTANA Group): ECKART is the effect pigment division of ALTANA and the closest direct counterpart to Silberline, producing metallic and pearlescent pigments for coatings, printing, and cosmetics. Silberline's product portfolio has been increasingly integrated with ECKART's under the ALTANA umbrella (e.g., Silbercote, MASTERSAFE).
• Toyo Aluminium K.K. Japanese producer of aluminum pigments for paints, inks, and plastics, with overlapping product lines in metallic effect pigments and a similar focus on industrial coatings and graphic arts. Comparable scale and customer base in Asia and globally.
• Carl Schlenk AG: German specialty manufacturer of metallic effect pigments and foils for coatings, printing, and plastics. Directly competes with Silberline in aluminum and bronze pigments for industrial and decorative applications, with a comparable specialty niche positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Merck KGaA (Performance Materials / Surface Solutions): Diversified science and technology company whose Surface Solutions division supplies pearlescent and effect pigments for automotive, cosmetics, and industrial coatings. Overlaps with Silberline's pearlescent (SYNCRYSTAL, Symic) and metallic pigment lines but operates across a far broader portfolio.
• BASF Coatings / BASF Colors & Effects: Global chemicals giant with effect pigments and coatings raw materials serving automotive, industrial, and decorative coatings. Competes with Silberline in metallic and functional pigments while offering much broader product breadth and R&D scale.
• Sun Chemical (DIC Group): World's largest producer of printing inks and a major supplier of pigments and colorants, overlapping with Silberline in metallic printing inks and graphic arts pigments. Part of DIC Corporation, with significantly broader product portfolio and global footprint.
• Heubach Group: Specialty pigments manufacturer producing inorganic and organic pigments, including effect pigments for coatings, plastics, and printing. Comparable to Silberline in pigment chemistry for coatings applications but with a broader pigment portfolio and global manufacturing footprint.
• DIC Corporation: Japanese diversified chemicals and pigments producer (parent of Sun Chemical) with significant overlap in printing inks pigments and effect pigments. Much larger and more diversified than Silberline across pigments, polymers, and compounds.
• ALTANA AG: German specialty chemicals group and parent of ECKART. While Silberline operates inside the ALTANA ecosystem, ALTANA's broader portfolio of additives, sealants, and coatings raw materials provides the relevant comparison set for specialty chemicals positioning and capital allocation.
• Clariant AG: Swiss specialty chemicals company with pigments and additives for coatings, plastics, and printing applications. Comparable customer base in industrial and decorative coatings, though Clariant's broader portfolio extends well beyond effect pigments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Silberline-376255886312334

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silberline