Production of Lead White paints

Michael Harding would like to inform you about the current issues we, and most other paintmanufacturers, are having with regards to lead white paint.

1. The last remaining European manufacturer of Lead Carbonate, this is the pigment used to make lead white paint, has stopped their production. There are no other manufacturers in Europe or the US at the moment.

We are urgently looking for a new supplier and may have found another manufacturer outside of Europe. This manufacturer obviously is aware of the current issues in Europe and has substantially risen their prices for this particular pigment. We are negotiating with them on price. But realistically, in order to get the product, we will have to accept that paying a higher price is unavoidable.

2. The fact that this new supplier is based outside of Europe means that we are subjected to the new European legislation on Chemicals, called REACH, which makes it almost impossible to import the necessary amounts of pigment into Europe.

We are doing our best to come up with a workable solution, but this takes time. We are working together with other paintmanufacturers to solve this problem as this is obviously an issue that affects the whole artist paint industry. So far, nothing conclusive has come up.

We will keep you informed about the status of our efforts via our website. We are confident that a solution will be found in the next few months. This search has become our no.1 priority. We thank you for your patience.

Yours sincerely,


For more information on REACH: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm


Lead Whites (Previous changes due to lead white regulations)

Most of you already heard the rumour. The artists paint sector is struggling with health and safety regulations regarding Lead white paints. The main reason for concern is the obligation to store lead white paint into a container one can only open with the help of a tool; this to discourage infants to access and eat the substance.

Most of the European paint manufacturers already switched their tubes of Flake or Cremnitz for tins. We were not eager to change our popular 225ml tube either, but in the end decided that we cannot hold the production any longer.

Besides the 1Ltr and 2.5Ltr tins, we will now also offer a 250ml Cartridge + gun (sold seperately). This system is similar to what is used in the printmaking industry and has all the advantages of a tube (the paint will not skin inside), it is child secure (because you need a tool to open it) and there will be less waste of paint because of the pressure system with the gun.

The paint in these cartridges and the tins will have absolutely the same consistency as the one in tubes.

The paint in the tins will be covered with a plastic membrane, to prevent it from skinning. Please remember to take it out.

Which sizes and colours will be affected by this new rule?

For European counties: 40ml, 60ml and 225ml tubes are now discontinued in the following colours:

For America and Australia: 40ml and 60ml tubes are now discontinued in the above mentioned colours.
(a limited amount of 225ml tubes is still available for all non-European countries, for as long as their regulations accept lead white paint to be sold to artists in tubes.)

Flake White No.2 will be discontinued over the whole line.

For those who want to read more about this

You can consult the documents at the Defra UK website : www.defra.gov.uk
You can read the full legislation text here www.opsi.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,