Cardinal powders
Cardinal Powder Coat Colors for Production Parts
We coat with Cardinal powders. Give us a Cardinal product code, a RAL number, or an AMS-STD-595 color, and we will source the powder and coat your run to it.
We coat with Cardinal powders
All Coat Finishing coats production parts with powders from Cardinal Paint and Powder, founded in 1952 as Cardinal Industrial Finishes. Cardinal has a Denver branch, so stock powders, samples, and data sheets for Front Range programs are close by.
If your drawing calls out a Cardinal product code, we order that exact product. If it calls out a RAL or AMS-STD-595 number, we source a matching Cardinal powder, from stock or as a custom batch, and run it on our production powder coating line.
Our powder coating colors page shows Cardinal’s charts, and Cardinal’s online color chart lists every stock product with its technical and safety data sheets.
What Cardinal’s stock line covers
Cardinal’s Summer 2024 color card groups its stock powders into families:
| Family | Examples from Cardinal’s card | Common uses |
|---|---|---|
| Blacks, whites, grays | Black from flat to 90 gloss, ANSI 61 and ANSI 49 Gray | Enclosures, frames, brackets, panels |
| Superdurable | Black, white, red, yellow, orange, and popular RAL colors | Parts that live outdoors |
| Military and federal | FS 34094 OD Green Flat, FS 33446 Desert Sand Flat, FS 37038 Black Flat | Low-gloss exterior parts |
| Safety and equipment | International Orange, Tractor Green, Tractor Yellow | Machinery and equipment |
| Metallics and pearls | Silver, bronze, brass, and chrome metallics; Pearl White Texture | Appearance parts and trim |
| Textures | Fine texture, texture, wrinkle, hammertone, vein, and multi-color finishes | Fabricated parts, handled parts |
| Specialty | ESD white, black, and gray; slip-resistant black; clears | Electronics, walking surfaces, topcoats |
Gloss levels and textures
Cardinal names its solid colors by gloss number, such as “White 90 Gloss.” The number is the 60-degree gloss reading (ASTM D523) on the data sheet. A 90 is high gloss, 10 and 20 read as low sheen, and federal colors are often named “Flat.” Many colors come in more than one gloss, so put any gloss range from your drawing on the RFQ.
A texture, wrinkle, or hammertone is more forgiving of minor surface marks on fabricated parts than a smooth high gloss. Threads and tight fits still need masking.
Check metallics for outdoor parts. Cardinal marks some, such as Silver Metallic 30 Gloss, as needing a clear topcoat outdoors, which means a second coat. Others, such as Statuary Bronze, are formulated for exterior use without one.
Choose the chemistry for where the part lives
The first letter of a Cardinal product code is the resin. Cardinal states that its exterior powders start with T, C, or P (TGIC polyester, TGIC-free polyester, and polyurethane), and that E and H powders (epoxy and hybrid) are not suitable as exterior topcoats where color and gloss stability matter. Cardinal Xpress custom colors carry an X code and are also exterior-durable TGIC polyester.
Cardinal says its superdurable powders can outperform their standard counterparts by up to five times. In South Florida exposure testing reported by Products Finishing, standard polyesters held color and gloss for about 12 to 18 months, and superdurables up to about five years. Our Cardinal powder colors guide explains the full product code and each chemistry.
RAL and AMS-STD-595 colors
Cardinal stocks popular RAL colors in high-gloss superdurable formulas. Cardinal says most other RAL, Federal Standard, and designer colors can be matched in 50 to 200 lb quantities through Cardinal Xpress.
AMS-STD-595 replaced FED-STD-595 in 2017, and most color numbers carried over. One caution for defense work: a powder matched to FS 34094 is a color match, not CARC. For CARC, see our mil-spec painting services. Our AMS-STD-595 color guide explains how the numbers read.
Custom colors and batch minimums
Cardinal Xpress makes custom colors in 50 lb batches, from 10 gloss to full gloss and in fine texture at two gloss levels. Cardinal also says it will match a physical sample you provide.
What that means for your quote:
- Small runs. A short run in a non-stock color can carry the cost of the whole batch.
- Scale. At Cardinal’s T009 data sheet rate, 50 lb covers about 2,875 sq ft at 2 mils in theory, less after real losses.
- Repeat parts. Tell us the annual volume so powder orders can be planned across releases.
- Lead time. A custom batch adds time to our typical lead time of about one week for standard jobs. We give you a ship date with the quote.
Approve color on a physical sample
Cardinal notes that screen colors are only representative. Approve critical colors against a physical sample from a Cardinal branch, viewed under the lighting where the product will be used.
Put the color on your RFQ
When you request a quote, include:
- The Cardinal product code (for example, T009-GR230), or the RAL or AMS-STD-595 number
- Gloss and texture, if the code does not set them
- Interior or exterior service
- Film thickness or coating spec, if the drawing gives one
- Lot size and annual volume
- Whether a color sample has already been approved
If the drawing has a full finish callout, attach it and we will quote to it.
Common questions
Can you coat a Cardinal color that is not on the stock color card?
Usually, yes, through a Cardinal Xpress custom batch. Your quote shows the batch powder cost and the added lead time, so you can weigh it against the nearest stock color before you commit.
Will a powder matched to FS 34094 meet a CARC requirement?
No. A commercial powder matched to an AMS-STD-595 number is a color match only. CARC is a coating system with its own specifications and qualified products, so a drawing that calls for CARC needs a CARC system. See our mil-spec painting page for that work.
Which Cardinal powders are suitable for outdoor parts?
Cardinal says its exterior powders start with T, C, or P, and that its E (epoxy) and H (hybrid) powders are not suitable as exterior topcoats where color and gloss stability matter. Cardinal Xpress custom colors carry an X code and are also exterior-durable TGIC polyester. For long sun exposure, ask about Cardinal's superdurable products.
What should I send to approve a color?
Send the Cardinal code, RAL, or AMS-STD-595 number, plus a physical color sample or a previously approved part if you have one. Cardinal will match a sample you provide, and on a production program we can coat a first article for your sign-off.
Can you match a Cardinal powder color in liquid paint?
Usually. Cardinal states that liquid coatings can be made to match powder-coated surfaces, and it offers matched liquid and powder systems for OEMs. We do industrial liquid painting in-house, so heat-sensitive assemblies can be painted in a liquid ordered to the same color. Gloss and appearance can still differ, so approve the match against a coated sample before production.