What Colloids does

Colloids is a UK-headquartered manufacturer of masterbatch and polymer additive solutions, founded in 1967 and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Israel's Tosaf Group. The company produces black, colour, white and graphene masterbatches along with functional additives (laser marking, conductive, thermally conductive, performance engineering) and a growing portfolio of sustainable polymer solutions (bio-based compounds, biodegradable/compostable polymers, NIR-detectable black for recycling). Its proprietary technology brands — T-TEC®, PACE®, E-TEC®, ENVIRO-TEC®, DK®, L-TEC®, H-TEC®, Maxim® and GRAPHANCED® — address demanding performance niches such as 120°C+ service temperatures, metal replacement, static dissipation, and permanent laser marking. Colloids holds IATF 16949:2016 automotive accreditation and complies with ISO 4427, EN 12201 and EN 13142 standards across pipe and compostable packaging applications.

The company serves manufacturers across automotive and aerospace, building and construction, agriculture and aquaculture, packaging and containers, electrical and electronics, and appliances. Colloids operates a three-region manufacturing footprint with its head office and primary UK plant in Knowsley, Merseyside, plus wholly owned subsidiaries in Baytown, Texas (Colloids Inc) and Changshu, China (Colloids Plastic (Suzhou) Limited). It distributes products through direct B2B sales to polymer processors and converters globally, with a recently announced UK commercialization partnership with Smart Planet Technologies to supply nanoclay masterbatch for HyperBarrier recyclable monolayer PE film (expected availability August 2026).

Revenue is generated through per-order sale of masterbatch products on a quote-based pricing model, with prices determined by formulation complexity, volume, polymer type, and performance specification. No public pricing exists; all commercial terms are negotiated directly. The company claims 50+ years of industry expertise and 265K+ global clients (the latter almost certainly a cumulative marketing figure rather than active accounts), with 51–100 employees based primarily at the UK headquarters.

Name

Colloids

Legal name

Colloids Limited

Website

https://colloids.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Colloids is a UK-based masterbatch and polymer additive manufacturer (founded 1967), part of the Tosaf Group, producing black, colour, white and specialty masterbatches plus sustainable polymer solutions for global manufacturers in automotive, packaging, construction, agriculture and electronics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Masterbatch and Polymer Additive Manufacturing

NAICS

Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252), Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326)

SIC

Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Masterbatch Manufacturing (Color, Additive, White/Black) (IMANABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Polymer Compounds & Masterbatches (Compounding, Color/Fill/Additive Concentrates) (IMAEANAJ), Bioplastics Compounding & Masterbatch (bio-based additives, colorants, fillers) (IMANANAB), Styrenics (Styrene Monomer, PS, EPS, ABS) (IMAEADAE)

Keywords

• Masterbatch manufacturing
• Polymer additives
• Plastic compounding
• Engineering polymers
• Sustainable plastics

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Masterbatch Products: Colloids generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of masterbatch products including black, colour, and white masterbatch, sold directly to polymer processors and manufacturers on a per-order basis with pricing based on formulation complexity, volume, and polymer type.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Colloids manufactures and sells masterbatch and additive polymer solutions used by plastics processors and manufacturers worldwide. Its product portfolio spans black, colour, white, and graphene masterbatches, performance additives, and sustainable compounds (biodegradable, bio-based, and conductive), supplied in bespoke and standard grades for automotive, construction, packaging, agriculture, electrical, and appliance applications.

Product overview

Colloids is a global masterbatch and polymer solutions manufacturer operating as part of the Tosaf Group. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized into three main categories: Masterbatch Products (Black, Colour, White, and Graphene masterbatches), Additives (high-performance, functional, combi-batch, and laser marking), and Sustainable Solutions (carbon footprint reduction, biodegradable polymers, and conductive compounds). The product portfolio features several branded technology lines including T-TEC® for ultra high-performance high-temperature applications (120°C+), PACE® for engineering polymers and metal replacement, L-TEC® for laser marking, E-TEC® for electrical conductivity, H-TEC® for thermal conductivity, ENVIRO-TEC® for sustainable bio-based materials, and DK® for biodegradable/compostable polymers. These products serve diverse industries including automotive, aerospace, transport, building and construction, agriculture, aquaculture, packaging, electrical and electronics, and appliances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• T-TEC®: Ultra High-Performance technology brand for blacks and colours with exceptional performance properties
• PACE®
• ENVIRO-TEC®
• DK®
• E-TEC®
• L-TEC®
• H-TEC®
• Maxim®
• GRAPHANCED®

Products and services

• Black Masterbatch Comprehensive range of black masterbatch products for polymer colouring, including ultra high-performance, engineering, and universal grades for applications across automotive, construction, pipe, and packaging industries.
• Colour Masterbatch Full spectrum of colour masterbatch solutions including ultra high-performance colours, film grades, universal colours, and special effects for diverse polymer applications.
• White Masterbatch White masterbatch products for polymer colouring and opacity enhancement in various plastic applications.
• Graphene Masterbatch (GRAPHANCED®) Advanced 2D composite solutions using GRAPHANCED® graphene technology for enhanced polymer properties, representing an innovation product category in Colloids' masterbatch portfolio.
• L-TEC® Laser Marking Additives Laser marking additive technology that enables permanent marking on plastic products, replacing adhesive labels and ensuring recyclability.
• ENVIRO-TEC® Sustainable Solutions Sustainable polymer solutions using bio-based and recycled materials including coffee grounds and eggshell compounds (10-50% by weight) to reduce carbon footprint in plastics manufacturing.
• DK® Biodegradable and Compostable Polymers Biodegradable and compostable masterbatch products including DK200 for film applications, DK300 for rigid packaging, and DK100 for degradable PE films, compliant with EN 13142.
• E-TEC® Electrical Conductive Compounds Electrically conductive compounds using carbon-based nanoparticles to create permanent conductive networks for applications in electrical, automotive, consumer goods, and packaging to prevent electrostatic discharge.
• H-TEC® Thermal Conductive Compounds Thermally conductive polymer compounds using thermal filler components to provide metal and ceramic alternatives for heat dissipation applications in electrical components.
• NIR-Detectable Black Masterbatch Near-infrared detectable black masterbatch technology enabling black plastic packaging to be identified and recycled at waste sorting facilities using NIR spectroscopy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years of industry expertise
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Smart Planet TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColloids is a UK-based commercialization partner for Smart Planet Technologies' HyperBarrier PE film technology. The partnership involves Colloids supplying its proprietary nanoclay technology for the development of monolayer polyethylene packaging film that provides 300x oxygen barrier improvement over standard PE film while remaining fully recyclable in the PE stream. Expected availability: August 2026.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sukano AG: Specialty masterbatch producer focused on PET, PLA, and biodegradable polymer masterbatches for packaging, fibres, and durable goods. Comparable because it overlaps with Colloids' DK® biodegradable, ENVIRO-TEC® bio-based, and film-grade color masterbatch offerings.
• Ampacet Corporation: Global masterbatch manufacturer offering black, white, color, and additive masterbatches for flexible packaging, rigid containers, and specialty applications. Comparable because it competes head-to-head with Colloids in NIR-detectable black masterbatch and sustainable additive solutions across packaging and agricultural films.
• Avient Corporation: Specialty formulator producing color and additive masterbatches, including sustainable bio-based and recycled-content grades under specialty engineered materials. Comparable because it competes with Colloids in PACE-style high-performance engineering masterbatches and serves the same automotive and packaging end-markets.
• Hubron International: UK-based black and specialty masterbatch manufacturer with a focus on high-performance blacks for pipe, film, and engineering polymer applications. Comparable because Hubron competes directly with Colloids in ISO-compliant HDPE pipe black masterbatch, additive, and carbon black concentrate categories, often to the same European customers.
• Tosaf Group: Colloids' parent company and masterbatch manufacturer operating globally across the same product lines (color, additive, white, and black masterbatch). Comparable because Colloids sits within Tosaf's portfolio and shares product roadmap, customer overlap, and raw material sourcing strategies with the parent.
• Cabot Corporation: Carbon black and black masterbatch producer with vertically integrated carbon black supply for plastics, including conductive and high-jet grades. Comparable because Cabot competes with Colloids' T-TEC® and standard black masterbatch ranges, particularly in pipe, automotive, and conductive applications.

Broad incumbents

• RTP Company: Compounder of custom engineered thermoplastic compounds and masterbatches with conductive, thermally conductive, and specialty additive lines. Comparable because RTP offers carbon-based electrically conductive compounds (parallel to Colloids' E-TEC®) and high-performance engineering grades (parallel to PACE®) for automotive and electronics.
• Clariant AG (now part of Avient specialty): Global specialty chemicals group with historically significant masterbatch business (now divested to Avient) and current additives/pigments portfolio serving plastics. Comparable historically as a direct competitor in color masterbatch and additive masterbatch for packaging, automotive, and consumer goods, while still overlapping on pigment/additive supply for plastics.

Regional players

• Plastiblends India Limited: Masterbatch manufacturer serving primarily Indian and South Asian polymer processors with black, white, color, and additive concentrates for packaging, agriculture, and infrastructure. Comparable because it competes with Colloids in agricultural film, pipe, and packaging masterbatch categories, though its primary geographic overlap is Asia rather than Europe.

Emerging players

• Silvergate Plastics: UK-based color and additive masterbatch producer focused on short lead times and small-batch bespoke formulations for packaging, healthcare, and consumer products. Comparable as a UK specialty rival with bespoke formulation capability targeting smaller European polymer processors, mirroring Colloids' Maxim® universal colours and custom colour offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ColloidsLtd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Colloids