Paint coverage – what is it and why is it important?

Dear friends, today let’s talk about the coverage of paints (about their covering power), one of their most important properties.
Coverage is the ability of a pigment to overlap the bottom layer so that it is not visible. Among artists, this is called the covering power or covering ability of the color system.
Coverage is expressed by the pigment mass contained in the paint in grams needed to cover one square meter of surface. Accordingly, the higher the coverage, the lower the paint consumption.
According to the degree of coverage, paints are divided into: roofing, semi-roofing/translucent and transparent. Opaque (roofing) paints completely “cover” the lower layers, while in transparent paints, the color of the previous layers stands out through the upper layer.
All color products of the manufacturer “Nevskaya Palitra” have an indication of their covering ability. Coverage shall be indicated on the packaging with the corresponding sign: filled, half-filled and completely empty. On the packaging of gouache and tempera, the coverage is not noted, since all colors are opaque.
Some of the most covering pigments are titanium white, chromium oxide, cadmium red, etc. Semi-covering pigments include Kraplak, Indian yellow, Volkonskoite, etc.