The Shepherd Color Company

What The Shepherd Color Company does

The Shepherd Color Company is a privately held specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1981 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm produces Complex Inorganic Color Pigments (CICPs), also known as mixed metal oxides, generated through high-temperature calcination (up to approximately 1250°C / 2300°F) of metal oxides followed by controlled milling. The technology targets performance-critical applications where organic pigments fail: extreme heat, prolonged UV exposure, aggressive chemicals, and demanding outdoor weathering. The portfolio is organized around four pillars: the Arctic® line of infrared-reflecting pigments used in cool roofing, urban heat island mitigation, automotive radar compatibility, and NIR-sortable black plastics for recycling; Dynamix® stir-in pigments designed for ease of dispersion into coatings without specialized milling equipment; StarLight® silver-coated glass-flake effect pigments for metallic-like finishes; and YInMn Blue, an Oregon State University discovery licensed exclusively to Shepherd Color.

The company sells directly to industrial B2B customers across five horizontal end-markets: paints and coatings (coil and extrusion, powder, high-temperature, architectural), plastics (engineering polymers, building products, food-contact), concrete and masonry, glass and ceramics (automotive, architectural, beverage), and specialty applications (special effects, recycling sorting, cool-roof systems). Named reference customers include Arkema, where Shepherd Color pigments are formulated into Kynar 500® and Kynar Aquatec® PVDF coating systems exhibiting 60+ year weathering performance, and APV Engineered Coatings, which combines Shepherd pigments with Kynar Aquatec® to produce NeverFade® facade restoration coatings. Distribution is direct, via technical sales representatives, sample-request workflows, and trade-show presence (SPE CAD RETEC, Middle East Coatings Show), with products shipped FCA from the Cincinnati facility under quote-based, multi-year contract pricing. The firm maintains a dense regulatory portfolio (FDA, REACH, EN71.3, CONEG, RoHS/ELV/WEEE, BfR, China GB9685) and holds granted patents across the US, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, and Europe covering BL10G513 and YL10P150 / YL30C152 product families, plus registered trademarks for Arctic®, Dynamix®, StarLight®, and YInMn Blue.

Shepherd Color is privately held with no parent company or known institutional investor, suggesting founder- or management ownership consistent with traditional specialty-chemicals manufacturers. In November 2024 the firm announced the second half of a $40 million facility investment to expand production capacity, and it has launched new products in 2022 and into 2026 while adding EMEA and regional commercial leadership. The company employs 251–500 people and operates with international offices supporting multilingual digital presence in Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, and Spanish.

Name

The Shepherd Color Company

Legal name

The Shepherd Color Company

Website

https://shepherdcolor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Shepherd Color Company is a Cincinnati-based, privately held specialty chemicals manufacturer that produces Complex Inorganic Color Pigments (mixed metal oxides) for industrial buyers in paints and coatings, plastics, concrete, glass and ceramics, and specialty applications, including IR-reflective cool-roof and recycling-sorting pigments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Industrial Pigments

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810)

akta.pro primary industry

Pigments & Dyes (IMAEAHAJ)

Keywords

• Complex inorganic color pigments
• Mixed metal oxide pigments
• Infrared reflective pigments
• Specialty pigment manufacturing
• Industrial colorants

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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. Pigment Product Sales: Shepherd Color generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of complex inorganic color pigments to industrial customers. Products are sold in powder form to manufacturers of paints, coatings, plastics, concrete products, glass, ceramics, and specialty applications. Revenue is product-based with quote/catalog pricing for bulk orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Shepherd Color Company manufactures Complex Inorganic Color Pigments (CICPs), also known as Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) pigments, produced through high-temperature calcination of metal oxides. Products are sold as pigment powders to industrial manufacturers in paints and coatings, plastics, concrete, glass and ceramics, and specialty applications, with branded product lines Arctic® (IR-reflective), Dynamix® (stir-in), StarLight® (special effect), and YInMn Blue.

Product overview

Shepherd Color is a manufacturer of Complex Inorganic Color Pigments (CICPs), producing high-performance inorganic pigments for demanding applications. The product portfolio consists of three main branded product lines: Arctic® (infrared reflecting pigments for cool roofing and thermal management), Dynamix® (easy-dispersion stir-in pigments), and StarLight® (silver-coated glass flake special effect pigments), plus YInMn Blue as a specialty pigment. These pigment products serve diverse applications including paints and coatings (coil coatings, powder coatings, architectural), plastics (engineering polymers, construction), concrete, glass and ceramics, and specialty applications. The pigments are intentionally designed for performance-critical uses where heat resistance, UV stability, weatherability, and chemical resistance are essential. Manufacturing uses high-temperature calcination processes reaching up to 1250°C/2300°F. The company also provides extensive technical documentation including Technical Data Sheets and Safety Data Sheets for all products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arctic®: Brand name for infrared reflecting pigments that help keep building products cooler by selectively absorbing visible wavelengths while reflecting infrared wavelengths
• Dynamix®
• StarLight®
• YInMn Blue

Products and services

• Arctic® IR Reflective Pigments

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ years outdoor color retention warranty on products
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ArkemacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2024Long-standing collaboration with Arkema, a global leader in high-performance coating resins. Shepherd Color supplies pigments for Kynar 500® and Kynar Aquatec® PVDF coating systems used worldwide in architectural and building applications. This partnership has delivered 60+ years of weathering performance, with original panels maintaining color after decades of exposure in South Florida.
• APV Engineered CoatingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2024Partnership for facade restoration coatings using NeverFade® products. APV Engineered Coatings formulates coatings combining Arkema's Kynar Aquatec® PVDF resin with Shepherd Color pigments for long-lasting building exterior protection. Shepherd has used these coatings on their own facilities for over a decade.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heubach Group: Heubach is one of the world's largest manufacturers of inorganic and organic pigments, including CICPs/MMOs and iron oxide colorants, with a global manufacturing footprint following its merger with Lanxess's organic and inorganic pigment portfolio. Direct competitor in complex inorganic color pigments serving coatings, plastics, and specialty applications.
• Cathay Industries: Cathay Industries is a global leader in iron oxide and inorganic color pigments serving construction materials, coatings, and plastics. Directly comparable in inorganic pigment chemistry and end-market exposure to Shepherd's CICP portfolio, with broader iron oxide scale.
• Vibrantz Technologies (formerly Ferro Corporation): Vibrantz Technologies (which acquired Ferro's colorants business) manufactures inorganic pigments, glass enamels, and ceramic colorants, overlapping with Shepherd in glass & ceramics and coatings applications. A direct peer in specialty inorganic colorants for high-temperature and architectural markets.
• American Colors Inc. American Colors is a privately held US-based manufacturer of specialty pigments and dispersions for coatings, plastics, and industrial applications. Comparable mid-sized specialty pigment manufacturer competing with Shepherd in the North American coatings and plastics markets.

Broad incumbents

• Sun Chemical (DIC Corporation): Sun Chemical, the global pigments and inks arm of DIC Corporation, is one of the largest pigment manufacturers worldwide. Overlaps with Shepherd in inorganic colorants for coatings and plastics, but operates across a much broader portfolio including organic pigments, effect pigments, and printing inks.
• BASF Colors & Effects: BASF's pigments and dyes business serves coatings, plastics, and specialty applications with both organic and inorganic pigments. A large, diversified incumbent whose inorganic colorants and effect pigments overlap directly with Shepherd's CICP and special effect product lines.
• Clariant: Clariant's Pigments & Additives segment supplies organic and inorganic pigments to coatings, plastics, and specialty applications. Comparable to Shepherd in serving high-performance coatings and plastics customers with weatherable colorants, though Clariant is significantly larger and more diversified.
• Venator Materials: Venator produces titanium dioxide pigments and color pigments for coatings, plastics, and specialty applications. Comparable in serving high-performance coatings customers with inorganic colorants, though focused primarily on TiO2 rather than CICPs.
• Element Solutions Inc: Element Solutions' Industrial and Specialty segments (including MacDermid Enthone and Spectra) supply specialty colorants, pigments, and surface treatments to electronics, automotive, and industrial customers. Comparable as a specialty chemicals platform with pigments and color solutions exposure.

Regional players

• Asahi Kasei (specialty pigments): Asahi Kasei supplies specialty pigments and colorants, primarily to the APAC coatings and plastics markets. Comparable in inorganic colorant chemistry and coatings end-market exposure, though primarily focused on the Asian regional market rather than direct competition in North America or Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shepherdcolor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shepherdcolor

Compliance15 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Shepherd Color Company