Zinc Iron Yellow
PY119
Alternate Names
Iron Zinc Brown
Zinc Ferrite Brown Spinel
Zinc Ferrites Yellow
Pigment Description
While listed as a yellow, this pigment can be found as a reddish brown. Zinc Iron Yellow or Zinc Ferrite Brown Spinel is an opaque pigment. It is listed as having Good or excellent lightfastness with some suppliers listing highest marks (BWS 8).
PY119 crops up in a few blends in oil paints, though is somewhat rare to encounter this one in oils. It is said to be able to increase the gloss of a paint film, but the medium is not stated.
It's used as a single-pigment in a handful of watercolors, and the yellow is muted or sometimes even the tone of a red earth. It's sometimes called Spinel Brown or even Magnesium Brown. It is also in a few Gold Ochre imitation hues.
Resources
PY119 pigment data from David G. Myers, The Color of Art Pigment Database, Artiscreation.com
Information about PY119 from Bruce MacEvoy, Handprint Guide to Watercolors, General information about this class of pigments from Handprint,
Alfa Chemistry (n.d. Accessed June 2025). Zinc Ferrites Yellow (PY119) https://materials.alfachemic.com/major-products/zinc-ferrites-yellow-py119.html. Alfa Chemistry.
Stats
Lightfastness
Excellent
Listed as BWS 8 by Alfa Chemistry. The 1980s NPIRI gave it all solid marks.
Transparency
Semi-Transparent to Opaque
Toxicity
Previously thought to be in the category of Lower Concern, but possibly Hazardous
Monona Rossol comments in regard to Spinels (which include a number of pigments) that "Their solubility in body fluids has not been studied and it should be assumed that they release metals." More research needs to be done, so there could be some potential unstudied hazards here (as with most pigments). The NPIRI notes that PY119 contains zinc. Monona has more information on zinc-containing pigments and their hazards. Please consult the proper health and safety experts as we are not toxicologists, and treat all pigments and paints with studio safety protocols.
Oil Content
Moderate
Approx 30g/100g oil
Particle Size
Very Fine
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