Chroma Color

What Chroma Color does

Chroma Color Corporation is a US-based specialty manufacturer of color and additive concentrates (masterbatches) for the plastics industry, serving healthcare and pharmaceutical, consumer staples, infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The company was formed in 2018 through the combination of Breen, Chroma, Carolina, and Hudson Color under private equity sponsor Arsenal Capital Partners, and has subsequently executed nine acquisitions to broaden its product portfolio, regulatory qualifications, and geographic reach. Its product portfolio spans the G Series (high-load masterbatches), ChromaPCRPET, MicroBlok antimicrobial, ChromaNIR, ChromaXLPEUltra, ChromaGlowUltra, ChromaFresh, ChromaBioColor bio-based concentrates, CHROMARK laser-markable additives, and the Epolin division's near-infrared absorbing dyes used in laser-welding, eye protection, and automotive LiDAR/ADAS filtration. Proprietary patents including G2 (2008), G3 (2018), and UltraPET (2021) underpin the formulation technology, and the company maintains ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 17025:2017, FDA Drug Master File listings, and EcoVadis Silver/Bronze sustainability ratings.

The company operates seven US manufacturing facilities complemented by sales support in Monterrey, Mexico, with regional sales directors covering the United States. Its go-to-market is direct-to-processor, with custom quotation-based pricing reflecting the engineered, application-specific nature of masterbatch concentrates. Customer concentration is diversified across regulated and non-regulated end markets, and the business model relies on long-cycle qualification of concentrates into customer end products, particularly in healthcare, food-contact, and consumer packaging applications. Joe Herres was appointed CEO in April 2024, following a period of rapid platform expansion and the August 2022 restructuring closure of the Delaware, Ohio facility. Going forward, Chroma Color's stated trajectory continues on M&A-driven platform consolidation, sustainable and bio-based product line expansion, and entry into emerging verticals such as automotive LiDAR and laser-welding via Epolin's NIR dye portfolio.

Name

Chroma Color

Legal name

Chroma Color Corporation

Website

https://chromacolors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chroma Color is a US specialty manufacturer of color and additive concentrates (masterbatches) for plastics processors in healthcare, consumer staples, infrastructure, and industrial markets, operating 7 US facilities under Arsenal Capital Partners ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Plastic Color and Additive Concentrates

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (325130)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Color Masterbatches & Dispersions (IMAEAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Color Blends & Formulation Systems (Standardized Blends, Shade Matching) (AFAJAEAF), Color Lakes & Pigment Preparations (Aluminum Lakes, Encapsulated Pigments) (AFAJAEAE), Color Stability & Performance Additives (Antioxidants, Chelators, UV/Heat/Acid Stabilizers) (AFAJAEAJ), Synthetic/Artificial Colorants (FD&C Dyes, Lake Pigments) (AFAJAEAC)

Keywords

• Specialty color concentrates
• Plastic masterbatch manufacturing
• Additive concentrates
• Polymer colorants
• Color compounding services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mchenry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 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. Color Concentrate Sales: Sale of specialty color and additive concentrates (masterbatches) in various forms including pellets, liquid, and dry color. Products are sold directly to plastic processors and converters across diverse end markets.
2. Custom Color Solutions: Custom-formulated color matching and development services. The company provides technical consulting and formulation services to develop custom color solutions for specific customer applications.
3. Additive Concentrates: Sale of additive concentrates including UV stabilizers, antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, flame retardants, and other functional additives combined with color concentrates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chroma Color Corporation develops and manufactures specialty color concentrates, additive concentrates (masterbatches), dry color, and precolored compounds for plastic processors and converters. The company uses proprietary carrier technologies (G2/G3, UltraPET/ChromaTransparent) to deliver highly loaded color and additive concentrates in pellet, liquid, and dry form to customers across healthcare, packaging, wire & cable, infrastructure, consumer goods, and industrial markets.

Product overview

Chroma Color Corporation is a specialty color and additive concentrate manufacturer serving the plastics industry with a diversified portfolio spanning color concentrates, antimicrobial additives, and light management technologies. The core G Series platform (G2 and G3 patented technologies) delivers highly-loaded color concentrates with the lowest cost-to-color in the industry for polyolefins and engineered resins. UltraPET and ChromaPCRPET address PET and sustainable packaging applications with FDA compliance. Specialty offerings include MicroBlok antimicrobial concentrates, ChromaNIR sortable black technology for recyclability, ChromaBioColor bio-compostable solutions, ChromaGlowUltra photoluminescent colors, ChromaFresh scented concentrates, and CHROMARK laser marking additives. Custom Colors provides tailored solutions across injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, and rotational molding processes. The company also operates Epolin as a division specializing in near-infrared (NIR) absorptive dyes for eye protection and light management applications across healthcare, infrastructure, and consumer markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MicroBlok®: Antimicrobial additive concentrates inhibiting growth of bacteria, molds, mildews, and fungi. Includes Silver-based (MicroBlok S) and Zinc-based (MicroBlok Z) variants.
• ChromaPCRPET®
• ChromaGlowUltra
• ChromaXLPEUltra
• ChromaBioColor
• ChromaNIR
• ChromaFresh

Products and services

• G Series Color Concentrates (G2 and G3) Patented high-load color concentrate technologies delivering lowest cost-to-color in the industry. G2 (Patent 2008) enables exceptionally high combined loadings of pigments and additives in pellet form (30+% UV/AO, 30+% Organics/Pearls) primarily for polyolefins. G3 (Patent 2018) achieves 20%+ higher pigment loading than G2 across all major polymers without compromising dispersion quality.
• ChromaPCRPET Color concentrates based on 100% post-consumer recycled PET (PCR PET) carrier for sustainable packaging applications. FDA compliant with No Objection Letter (NOL), enabling 100% PCR content in final products for sheets, bottles, and other applications.
• MicroBlok Antimicrobial Color Concentrates

Quantifiable outcome

• Cost reduction through let-down ratio reduction from 4% to 1% for some applications
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)coreOthers · 27 February 2025Joe Herres, Chroma Color CEO, was named to the NAM Board of Directors in February 2025. NAM is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector.
• Spectra Color, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 December 2024Acquired in December 2024, Spectra Color is a custom manufacturer of colorants and pre-colored resin compounds located in Corona, CA. Founded in 1976, they supply thermoplastic compounds, colorants, additives, and value-added resins for medical, healthcare, agriculture, consumer products, and other markets. Also manufactures proprietary resin for rotational molding.
• Approved Color LLCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2024Acquired in May 2024, Approved Color LLC was a manufacturer of color concentrates and masterbatches in the Northeast. Founded in 1975, the company provided quality chromatically matched colorants for children's toys, clothing, cookware, food containers, bottles, and other applications.
• J. Meyer & Sons, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2021Acquired in October 2021, J. Meyer & Sons was a manufacturer of color concentrates and masterbatches for medical and pharmaceutical markets. Founded in 1883, the company expanded into plastics in the 1960s and produces custom and proprietary color masterbatch and compounds.
• Color Resource LLCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2021Acquired in August 2021, Color Resource manufactured color concentrates for telecommunications, fiber, building, electronics, and specialty wire markets. Manufacturing plant in Leominster, MA expanded Chroma's wire and cable product offerings and moisture cure XLPE compounds capabilities.
• Epolin Chemicals LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2020Acquired in June 2020, Epolin operates as an independent subsidiary of Chroma Color Corporation. Epolin brings global leadership in near-infrared absorbing dyes and thermoplastic compounds, serving customers in sensors, security inks, light filters, touch-screens, night vision products, and eyewear. The acquisition significantly expanded Chroma's product offerings in targeted growth markets.
• Plastics Color CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2020Acquired in January 2020, Plastics Color Corporation included facilities in Asheboro, NC and Calumet City, IL. The company had delivered innovations in color concentrates, functional additives, and custom polymer masterbatch for over 50 years. Calumet City operations were subsequently closed and consolidated into other facilities.
• Polymer Concentrates Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2019Acquired in February 2019, Polymer Concentrates Inc. was based in Clinton, MA. The company developed and manufactured color concentrates for the international plastics industry with deep relationships in automotive, communication technology, wire-cable, housewares, netting, packaging, and other specialty industries. Facility is close to Chroma's Leominster, MA plant.
• Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeminorOthers · 7 January 2019Chroma Color's Salisbury location participates in the college's Multicraft Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship program, which provides training for skilled workers. The program includes classroom instruction and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training annually for four years.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tosaf Compounds: International manufacturer of color and additive masterbatches for the plastics industry with strong presence in film extrusion, packaging, and agricultural applications. Directly comparable in custom color matching and additive concentrate technology.
• Ampacet Corporation: Global specialty masterbatch manufacturer producing color and additive concentrates for the plastics industry. Directly comparable in core product offerings (color and additive masterbatches), end markets (packaging, healthcare, wire/cable), and customer base (plastic processors and converters).
• Penn Color: Specialty color and additive masterbatch manufacturer serving packaging, consumer goods, and industrial applications. Comparable in pigment preparation, custom color formulation, and masterbatch delivery forms (pellets, liquid, dry color).
• RTP Company: Compounder of custom-engineered thermoplastics including color masterbatches and additive concentrates. Directly comparable in custom color matching, high-load concentrate technology, and serving demanding end markets (medical, aerospace, electronics).
• Americhem: Privately held manufacturer of color and additive masterbatches, custom color matching, and performance products for the plastics industry. Direct comparable in custom color solutions, healthcare/pharma certifications, and polymer additive concentrates.
• Gabriel-Chemie: European family-owned masterbatch manufacturer producing color and additive concentrates for plastics processors. Comparable in custom color solutions, regulatory certifications (food contact), and emphasis on specialty polymer applications.

Broad incumbents

• Cabot Corporation: Specialty chemicals and performance materials company with significant carbon black and specialty pigment operations feeding into plastics coloration. Relevant comparison for raw material sourcing dynamics and as a wider specialty chemicals benchmark.
• Polymer Group (formerly A. Schulman): Masterbatch and engineered composites business now part of LyondellBasell following acquisition. Competitive overlap in color and additive masterbatches for packaging, automotive, and industrial applications, though serving these from a much larger integrated chemicals platform.
• Avient Corporation: Specialty formulator of color masterbatches, additives, and engineered materials after acquiring Clariant Color and the former PolyOne. Competes with Chroma in color concentrates across multiple end markets while offering a broader portfolio that includes specialty engineered materials and composite solutions.

Emerging players

• Epolin (pre-Chroma acquisition independent history): NIR specialty dye manufacturer that now operates as a Chroma Color division. Listed as a peer for the NIR/eye protection/light management niche that operates adjacent to but distinguishable from the core masterbatch business — relevant for peer comparison only on the Epolin specialty chemistry segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chromaofficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAa4OcGSGetmfAb7UuSTIeQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/chromacolorcorporation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chroma

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A5 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Chroma Color