By John Park-Davies, group managing director, Vertik-Al.
Our annual colour audit has shown that 2024 was dominated by neutrals and various shades of grey. In fact, it is a 60/40 split. Neutrals account for 11 of our top 20 most applied powders.
Those who follow our journey will know that anthracite grey in a matt finish has been a firm favourite for several years now, and there was no change in 2024. With universal appeal, RAL 7016 was the most popular powder colour.
However, black and white powders were used most commonly during 2024, with six entries inside the top ten. Jet black and Hipca white sit behind anthracite grey as our second and third most used powders, respectively. Other high-ranking neutrals include signal white, pure white, signal black and traffic white. Hipca white is also the only top 20 powder to feature in both matt and gloss finishes.
These tones have been slowly re-gaining ground over the past couple of years. While we apply vast quantities of anthracite grey, combined, black and white hues are used most consistently. This is because they suit everything, from an aluminium window frame to an industrial widget or cladding system. Either the colour is unassuming, or it has been chosen to complement and coordinate with a neutral colour scheme or to counter stronger tones.
Warm greys
Perhaps most evident was a greater use of warm greys. Khaki grey, moss grey, silk grey and pebble grey all rank in our top 20 most used powder colours. Unlike the perennially popular anthracite grey, basalt grey, slate grey and black grey, these greys are much softer.
Warm and calming, they work particularly well in spaces with good natural light and are enriched by sunlight. Their increased use suggests the cool grey trend may be in decline!
Super-durables
As well as retaining the top spot, anthracite grey also featured in 16th position, but this time in an ultra-durable powder coating – Interpon D2525 matt. This is a series of powder coatings with exceptional weather resistance, offering outstanding gloss retention, resistance to colour change, and maximum film integrity. They are Qualicoat Class 2 certified and GSB approved.
Qualicoat Class 2 powders are better known as super-durables. Developed in the 1990s, super durables now boast a track record exceeding 30 years in the field, and with greater awareness and demand for high, long-lasting performance, their use is growing, steadily.
We have decades of coating experience using super-durables and as a result we can confidently offer extended warranties on Class 2 powders.
Other colours
As the UK’s largest independent powder coater, we are privileged to powder coat aluminium bar length and items for many industries and applications and this directly influences the powders we use.
Last year, we applied thousands of different colours, textures and finishes. Our most popular colours aside, we also used smaller quantities of more interesting colours and finishes, including metallics, anti-graffiti, and non-slip.
We know that metallic effect powders in anodic bronze and anodic steel bronze are already popular with designers, but last year, we added another to the list – anodic champagne. Just like the shift from cool to warm grey tones, this metallic is far warmer than either anodic bronze or anodic steel bronze.
We also received a request to colour match one of Farrow & Ball’s Traditional Neutrals – No.4 Old White.
Overall, 2024 was the year of the warm grey. These tones offer greater design flexibility and freedom and inject spaces with comfort and encourage well-being. We are very excited to see what colour innovations await in 2025.
